Nick Saban: Jaylen Waddle Could Play for Alabama in CFP Title Game After Injury

Despite suffering what appeared to be a season-ending ankle injury in October, junior wide receiver Jaylen Waddle could play for the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday. 

According to ESPN's Chris Low, Alabama head coach Nick Saban said Tuesday: "He's been running, but we need to see him in practice. Our medical people will evaluate him as the week goes on and make a decision from there. He wants to play and has been working hard to get back."

Waddle has not played since suffering a fractured right ankle on the opening kickoff of Alabama's Oct. 24 win over the Tennessee Volunteers.

Per Aaron Suttles of The Athletic, Waddle has been cleared to play, but his status will come down to how comfortable he feels about playing.

Even without Waddle, the Tide have been dominant offensively, ranking second in the nation with 48.2 points per game.

Alabama has two Heisman Trophy finalists in quarterback Mac Jones and wide receiver DeVonta Smith, and the return of Waddle would give head coach Ryan Day's Ohio State team another explosive weapon to account for.

Jones hasn't missed a step during Waddle's absence, completing 77.0 percent of his passes for 4,036 yards, 36 touchdowns and just four interceptions on the season.

Meanwhile, being the unquestioned No. 1 target allowed Smith to reach superstar status, as evidenced by his 105 receptions for 1,641 yards and 20 touchdowns.

In 2018, Waddle was slightly higher in the pecking order than Smith, as he finished with 45 grabs for 848 yards and seven scores to Smith's 42 catches for 693 yards and six touchdowns, but the roles reversed in 2019.

Last season, Smith made substantial strides, recording 68 catches for 1,256 yards and 14 touchdowns. Waddle only ended up with 33 receptions for 560 yards and six scores.

With Jerry Jeudy moving on to the NFL, however, Waddle saw an increased role in the offense to start this season and was off to a fast start with 25 receptions for 557 yards and four touchdowns in five games before getting injured.

Despite missing so much time, Waddle still ranks third on the team in receiving yardage and receiving touchdowns behind Smith and John Metchie.

If Waddle does return for the CFP National Championship Game, it will give Jones a third big-time option in the passing game and perhaps make it even harder for OSU to keep up with the Tide despite the fact that Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields is coming off a massive six-touchdown performance in the CFP semifinals against Clemson.