ORLANDO, FL — Michigan’s Don Brown has gone up against some elite wide receivers in his decades as a defensive coordinator. Alabama’s group is one of the best he’s seen, he admitted Sunday during his pre-Citrus Bowl press conference.

DeVonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs all put up bigger numbers than any Michigan receiver this year, and all of them sport big play ability. Smith and Ruggs average more than 18 yards per catch, and even the No. 4 receiver, Jaylen Waddle (553 yards), averaged 17.3.

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“They're pretty good now. They've got a nice group,” Brown said Sunday. “It sounds like DeVonta Smith is back at practice, so that just enhances their ability to get down the field. Jerry Jeudy, obviously, Bilentinikoff winner a year ago. Ruggs, Waddle and [John] Metchie, with some of the injuries that they've dealt with, has made a name for himself as a young guy as well.

“So we understand the challenge that's in front of us. We're confident in our ability. You know you're not going to beat them one way. You're going to have to play a number of different coverages and we're confident in our ability to do that.”

"Crafty” was the word Smith used to describe corners Lavert Hill and Ambry Thomas, while offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said they were preparing for a number of different looks.

“They can switch it up,” Smith said. “They can be physical. They can be patient and adjust in the things that they do. They switch it up, keep you guessing and have you just wondering, like, ‘OK — what is he going to do this time?’”

“From a scheme standpoint, I think Coach Brown does an excellent job,” Sarkisian added. “They've got a lot of man‑to‑man principles they play. And, as DeVonta said, they're crafty at corner. I think [Hill and Thomas] are both crafty in their man‑to‑man skills. But they do a really good job in their scheme of mixing it up, mixing up different zone coverages, zone covers that match up in the man coverages.

"So I think the challenge for the wideouts is their releases and how they're running specific routes. And then also for the quarterback, because of the variations of coverages, the quarterback's got to be on point of where his progression and his where his reads need to go.”

That responsibility falls on backup Mac Jones, who replaced injured Tua Tagovailoa following the latter’s traumatic hip injury suffered against Mississippi State Nov. 16. Jones had seen action in every game prior to that, mostly in mop-up duty, and his numbers have been good. He’s completed 69.8 percent of his passes and thrown for 11 touchdowns against three picks,

He did throw a pair of pick sixes in a loss to Auburn, but Brown has seen enough to know the Bama offense is still formidable with Jones under center.

“To be quite honest, I don't think they've changed all that much. I think they've stayed systemically right on track to where they want to be,” Brown said. “He does a great job of getting the ball out quick, which is obviously a trait for their offensive football team, as they want to get it out quick. So I don't know if he's changed all that much, but he's certainly been efficient and has certainly kept them playing at an elite level, for sure.”

And again, it helps when he’s got a group of receivers among the best in the country.

“I’m going to have to say top three to five [groups he’s ever seen]. One year at Boston College, we had Sammy Watkins and company when we faced Clemson. I would think this group might have some similar traits,” he said.

“But the bottom line is, when you have four of them, that makes it a significant challenge because you've got to be strong at all your defensive back positions, and your linebackers have got to be in sync in the coverages that we'll utilize. So this is probably the deepest group across the board. But [we’ve] seen individual talent like these guys in the past.”

Some they’ve fared well against, others (like Ohio State’s elite group) they haven’t. But they’re confident, Brown said, and looking forward to the challenge of facing one of the best offenses they’ll have seen all year.

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