Where did Jaylen Waddle go to college?

The wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins, Jaylen Waddle, made his NFL debut in 2021, and due to his outstanding performance throughout his rookie season, he secured a place in the 2021 PFWA All-Rookie team. Additionally, as a rookie, he surpassed Anquan Boldin’s record of 101 receptions, setting a new NFL record of 104 receptions in a single season. Most recently, in March 2024, his contract got extended for three more season, worth $84.75 million.

Waddle was born in Houston, Texas on 25 November 1998 to Jaylen Waddle Sr. and Lesha Redmon. He began playing high school football at Episcopal High School in Bellaire, Texas. Subsequently, he committed to playing college football at the University of Alabama. Following his collegiate career, his NFL journey started when the Miami Dolphins selected him as the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Jaylon Waddle's College

Waddle attended the University of Alabama and committed to playing college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama has a history of producing talented football players and Jaylon Waddle is no exception. The list of exceptional players from Alabama includes Tua Tagovailoa, Trevon Diggs, DeVonta Smith, and Najee Harris among others.

Waddle played college football at the University of Alabama from 2018 to 2020. He concluded his freshman year with 45 receptions for 848 yards and seven touchdowns, earning him the title of SEC Freshman of the Year in 2018. Additionally, he played as a punt returner amassing 16 punt returns for 233 yards and a touchdown.

In his sophomore year, he concluded the season with 33 receptions for 560 yards and recorded six receiving touchdowns. As a return specialist, he secured first-team All-SEC and he was bestowed the title of SEC Special Teams Player of the Year. In 2020, he earned Second-team All-SEC and later announced his decision to enter the 2021 NFL Draft, opting out of his senior season.

Jaylon Waddle College stats, as per the University of Alabama, are as follows:

Rushing Statistics
	GP	ATT	YDS	TD	Long	AVG/A	AVG/G
2019	13	1	5	0	5	5	0.4
2020	6	3	12	0	11	4	2
Total	19	4	17	0	11	4.3	0.9

Receiving Statistics
	GP	REC	YDS	TD	Long	REC/G	AVG/C	AVG/G
2018	15	45	848	7	94	3	18.8	56.5
2019	13	33	560	6	58	2.5	17	43.1
2020	6	28	591	4	90	4.7	21.1	98.5
Total	34	106	1999	17	94	3.1	18.9	58.8

Scoring Statistics
	GP	TD	Rush	REC	RET	FG	PAT	2PT	TOT	AVG/G
2018	15	8	0	7	0	0	0	0	48	3.2
2019	13	8	0	6	0	0	0	0	48	3.7
2020	6	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	24	4
Total	34	20	0	17	0	0	0	0	120	3.5

Kick Return Statistics
	GP	ATT	YDS	TD	Long	AVG/R	AVG/G
2019	13	5	175	1	98	35	13.5
2020	6	4	39	0	22	9.8	6.5
Total	19	9	214	1	98	23.8	11.3

Punt Return Statistics
	GP	ATT	YDS	TD	Long	AVG/R	AVG/G
2018	15	16	233	1	63	14.6	15.5
2019	13	20	487	1	77	24.4	37.5
2020	6	2	13	0	11	6.5	2.2
Total	34	38	733	2	77	19.3	21.6

Defense Statistics
	GP	SOLO	AST	TOT	TFL-YDS	SACK-YDS	INT	PD	FF	FR	BLK
2020	6	1	0	1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	6	1	0	1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0

Jaylon Waddle's High School

Waddle went to the Episcopal High School in Bellaire, Texas, and as a senior, he played in the U.S. Army All-American Game. The four-star wide receiver, ranked highly by various recruiting outlets, was one of the top-10 players in Texas in the 2018 recruiting class.

247Sports placed him as the No. 9 receiver and the fifth-best player in Texas. Waddle was recognized as the No. 12 receiver on the ESPN300 and the ninth-ranked pass catcher in Texas. Rivals.com ranked Waddle as the No. 2 player in Texas and the seventh-best receiver overall.