FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.– Since he signed with Alabama in February, people have been trying to find a way to describe Jaylen Waddle, but junior defensive back Shyheim Carter described him in one short phrase at Orange Bowl Media Day on Thursday.

“He’s special,” Carter said. “He’s special.”

Sophomore receiver Henry Ruggs III knew it over the summer, as soon as he saw the freshman receiver on the basketball court.

“He did a windmill (dunk) in the rec,” Ruggs said. “He had on running shoes, not basketball shoes, so that was impressive. That caught my eye and let me know he was explosive. And as the summer went, we saw the kinds of plays he could make.”

His lightning-fast acceleration and the suddenness of his cuts weren’t the only things Waddle brought to the team. Ruggs and wide receivers coach Josh Gattis both mentioned his infectious energy that makes it nearly impossible for teammates to zone out in team meetings or laze through practice reps in 90-degree heat.

Gattis called the ebullient freshman an “alpha-male demeanor kind of guy,” also lauding Waddle’s desire to improve and his willingness to accept whatever role the coaches assigned him.

“Jaylen Waddle’s a guy that would be starting at any school in the country – you name it, there’s not one school that he wouldn’t start at,” Gattis said. “Sometimes we had him coming off the bench as the fourth receiver. He never complained, he accepted his role and continued to have success with it. When you have guys like that, it truly leads to having a special team.”

Waddle teased fans through Alabama’s first four games, showing flashes of brilliance without reaching the end zone.

He finally broke out against Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 29 with a 63-yard punt return, later adding 138 yards and two touchdowns on just three catches. That included a 94-yard score that started as a short throw over the middle but ended with no defender within eight yards of Waddle as he mimicked a marathon runner breaking through the tape at the finish line.

His 19.6 yards per reception leads what is perhaps college football’s most talented receiving corps, and his 15.1 yards per punt return ranks second in the SEC.

Waddle credits Gattis’ attention to detail for his meteoric rise, but the freshman has also taken full advantage of the talent surrounding him by frequently asking more experienced receivers for advice.

“When I got a question about getting open, they always answer it,” Waddle said. “I always ask Jeudy, ‘Why’d you do that move right there? How did you set (the defensive back) up?’ He’ll be like, ‘I inside stemmed him and wanted him to jump inside so I could take an outside release.’”

Sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa notoriously likened his supporting cast to a candy store, saying he could look to one side for Skittles or another for Snickers.

“You can throw him a quick pass and he can turn that into like a 30-yard gain,” Tagovailoa said. “Just little things like that where you can give the ball to him and know he’s going to make plays.”

Waddle, perhaps, is more like an Atomic Fireball.