Washington transfer wide receiver Germie Bernard was as good as advertised for Alabama football in Saturday’s A-Day game. He led the team in receiving yards with 122 on three catches.

He also caught the longest pass of the day, a 52-yard catch from quarterback Jalen Milroe. After the scrimmage, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer praised Bernard.

“That’s what he does,” DeBoer said. “He’s a physical guy. The ball’s up in the air, it’s his, he’s got that mindset. I think the guys, the quarterbacks in particular, they believe in him. He’s been, he’s a leader because that’s just naturally what he does, but he’s just tried to work in with the receiving core, become one of them and he had some opportunities today and took advantage of them.”

Bernard followed DeBoer from Washington this past offseason when the coach took over for the retired Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. He finished last season with 34 catches for 419 yards and two touchdowns in a loaded receiver group for the Huskies.

On an Alabama team that saw some of its top receivers from last season leave, including Jermaine Burton and Isaiah Bond, Bernard could see a larger role for the Tide this season. He’s already impressed UA’s starting quarterback.

“Germie’s a competitor,” Milroe said. “He comes each and every day ready to go at the facility. He’s been a good leader in the room. He’s been special. Special for us, especially for him, he has knowledge of the system and he’s a veteran in college, so he’s been doing a really good job being an effective leader.”

Bernard accounted for more than a third of Alabama’s 302 passing yards on his own. He displayed the ability to make catches in traffic, including on the 52-yarder that he took inside the defense’s five-yard line.

Alabama doesn’t open the season until Aug. 31 against Western Kentucky. If Bernard continues on his current trajectory, he could be a serious threat for the Crimson Tide throughout the 2024 campaign.

“He’s gonna be a good one for us,” DeBoer said. “That’s for sure.”