The Alabama Crimson Tide didn’t have many playmakers on offense against Florida State. Really, there weren’t many playmakers on either side of the football for this team, but at least one veteran pass-catcher did manage to stand out: wide receiver Germie Bernard.

The former Washington transfer is now in Year 2 at Alabama and Year 3 under head coach Kalen DeBoer. Last year, he totaled a respectable 50 catches for 794 yards and two scores. The receptions paced the Crimson Tide while the yardage finished second only behind rising star Ryan Williams (865).

Bernard, at the very least, was reliable and consistent. So far, he’s taken that reliability and consistency to another level as a senior. During Alabama’s 31-17 loss to Florida State, Bernard was one of the lone bright spots, as he hauled in eight of his team-leading 14 targets for 146 yards. Last season, he averaged 61.1 yards per game, so the yardage was almost two and half times what we were accustomed to seeing him produce in 2024.

Ryan Grubb shares praise

On Monday, Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was asked about how the wide receiver room performed in the season-opening loss. His response started and ended with a glowing review of his most veteran offensive weapon, Bernard.

“How I look at it is, I just start with Germie Bernard,” Grubb told reporters. “That’s what it’s supposed to look like. If you’re watching the game, I mean, the guy’s running in and blocking their Aztec player that’s running down the middle of the field and smoking that dude. Then he’s running down the sideline and catching a play-action pass.

“His desire and passion for the game, you just see how he plays, whether it’s a run block or a pass play. We just set that as the gold standard, and if it’s not what Germ’s doing, it’s not good enough.”

You’ll be hard-pressed to find praise like that for most players. But for anyone who watched Saturday’s game, you understand exactly what Grubb is talking about. Bernard was making an impact in a variety of ways, but most notably, he was the most reliable playmaker Alabama had to offer. Yes, Williams did prematurely go down with a concussion, but it almost felt like he hadn’t been playing at 100% anyways.

Either way, Bernard was far-and-away WR1 against the Seminoles.

What Bernard brings to the table

The former Washington transfer is extremely tough. That’s the first thing I’ll say about him, especially with there seemingly being a lack of toughness elsewhere against Florida State on Saturday. He’s also as sure-handed as they come, and he’s got the ability to uncover and create some after the catch. Those are all desirable traits in a receiver. Plus, he brings physicality and some power that makes him a versatile element for any offense.

Williams will always be the flash. We’ve never seen some of the things the 18-year-old is capable of pulling off on a football field, but there’s also still growth happening there. The consistency aspect of his game is a work in progress, and while that happens, Ty Simpson and the rest of the Alabama offense needs a presence like Bernard. And the leadership element takes his importance to another level.

During this troublesome time, Alabama needs as many “Germie Bernards” as it can get. Sure, his talent would be useful, but I’m moreso talking about the intangibles. He leads by example, and he’s as reliable off the field as he is on it. It wasn’t reflected on the stat sheet against Florida State, but Alabama has a quality wide receiver room with multiple Day 1 or 2 talents. Bernard is included in that group, and if he continues to perform like we saw on Saturday, the likelihood of him being a first-round guy increases drastically. Either way, he feels like a guy who’s eventually going to play in the NFL for a long time.

Bernard discusses bounce back

“You just got to go out there and play hard,” Bernard told reporters after Tuesday’s practice. “I feel like when you go out there and you play hard, things are gonna go well. So I’m just encouraging each and every one of the offensive guys to bring their best to the games, bring their best in practices.

“Practices are harder than the game. So we have to make practice hard on ourselves. We got to push a little bit more. We got to finish a little bit more. That’s really it. Just continue to show the guys what it’s gonna take for us to get to the natty and win the natty. I got to lead by example, so that’s what I’m doing.”