The 2018 version of Alabama boasts the school’s most prolific offense since coach Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa.

The combination of sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and a talented group of receivers, most of whom are underclassmen, has led to monstrous receiving stats to which there may not be a single historic comparison.

Entering Alabama’s Week 10 matchup at No. 4 LSU, the Crimson Tide’s top five receivers — in terms of receptions — are all averaging more than 17 yards per catch, including two at more than 20 yards per reception.

Each player has at least 20 catches, 400 yards and three receiving touchdowns.

We went through the top-10 passing offenses from every year of this decade to try to find a comparison, and we couldn’t find one that could match the per-catch production of wide receivers Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle, Henry Ruggs III, DeVonta Smith and tight end Irv Smith Jr.

The scariest news for the rest of the country is that every player in that group, save for Smith, will be back next season.

Here are the receiving statistics for Alabama’s top five receivers through eight games.

Player	Receptions	Yards	YPC	TD	Rec./TD
Jerry Jeudy	31	777	25.1	10	3.1
Henry Ruggs III	24	444	18.5	7	3.4
Irv Smith Jr.	22	384	17.5	5	4.4
Jaylen Waddle	21	457	21.8	3	7
DeVonta Smith	21	409	19.5	3	7

 

Here are some of the closest comparisons to Alabama’s 2018 receiving production that we could find from other top-10 passing offenses this decade.

Baylor, 2013

Player	Receptions	Yards	YPC	TD	Rec./TD
Antwan Goodley	71	1,339	18.9	13	5.5
Levi Norwood	47	733	15.6	8	5.9
Tevin Reese	38	867	22.8	8	4.8
Corey Coleman	35	527	15.1	2	17.5
Clay Fuller	32	512	16.0	3	10.7

Oklahoma, 2017

Player	Receptions	Yards	YPC	TD	Rec./TD
Mark Andrews	62	958	15.5	8	7.8
Marquise Brown	57	1,095	19.2	7	8.1
CeeDee Lamb	46	807	17.5	7	6.6
Dimitri Flowers	26	464	17.8	5	5.2
Jeff Badet	26	400	15.4	3	8.7

Oklahoma State, 2017

Player	Receptions	Yards	YPC	TD	Rec./TD
James Washington	74	1,549	20.9	13	5.7
Marcell Ateman	59	1,156	19.6	8	7.4
Jalen McCleskey	50	645	12.9	5	10
Dillon Stoner	44	576	13.1	6	7.3
Justice Hill	31	190	6.1	1	31

Oklahoma State, 2015

Player	Receptions	Yards	YPC	TD	Rec./TD
David Glidden	57	866	15.2	3	19
James Washington	53	1,087	20.5	10	5.3
Marcell Ateman	45	766	17.0	5	9
Jalen McCleskey	29	253	8.7	3	9.7
Brandon Sheperd	23	323	14.0	3	7.7

Baylor, 2012

Player	Receptions	Yards	YPC	TD	Rec./TD
Terrance Williams	97	1,832	18.9	12	8.1
Tevin Reese	53	957	18.1	9	5.9
Lanear Sampson	52	646	12.4	6	8.7
Levi Norwood	40	487	12.2	1	40
Antwan Goodley	17	171	10.2	2	8.5

Toledo, 2016

Player	Receptions	Yards	YPC	TD	Rec./TD
Corey Jones	66	817	12.4	5	13.2
Cody Thompson	64	1,269	19.8	11	5.8
Michael Roberts	45	533	11.8	16	2.8
Kareem Hunt	41	403	9.8	1	41
Jon’Vea Johnson	40	773	19.3	10	4

 

The Crimson Tide still has to play two strong defenses in LSU and Mississippi State, but if Alabama can keep a similar pace through the air in the second half of the season, then there’s a chance that its wide receivers and top tight end will have better yards-per-catch and receptions-per-touchdown averages than any other group of five receivers that have played the sport.