Alabama WR John Metchie III Won't Play in Cotton Bowl vs. Cincinnati with ACL Injury

Alabama coach Nick Saban said receiver John Metchie "has an ACL and will be out" for the Cotton Bowl.

The Crimson Tide is scheduled to face Cincinnati on New Year's Eve in the national semifinal.

Metchie suffered the injury during Saturday's 41-24 win over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Saban discussed the injury Sunday on ESPN (via Charlie Potter of 247Sports):

"John Metchie's been an outstanding player for us, no doubt. He's a good leader. He's the leader of that group in a lot of ways. He has the most experience. He's been here the longest. He's been very productive. We hate to see any player get injured. It was a non-contact injury. We haven't confirmed it yet, but we're pretty certain that he has a pretty significant knee injury."

Metchie leads the team with 96 catches and ranks second with 1,142 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

The junior had six catches for 97 yards and a touchdown in the first half against Georgia before leaving with the knee injury.

Alabama will miss his presence against Cincinnati, which ranks tied for fourth in the country with just 16.1 points allowed per game this season.

Jameson Williams will remain the go-to option in the passing game for Bryce Young, but no one else on the roster has more than 400 receiving yards this season. Slade Bolden will be the next man up at receiver while Traeshon Holden and Jojo Earle could see more playing time going forward.

The injury is also significant for Metchie as he prepares for his future beyond college.

ESPN's Todd McShay listed the wideout as the No. 7 player at his position in the 2022 NFL draft class.