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You only think you know Hale Hentges. The Alabama tight end best identified by his gritty blocks and yeoman work ethic often goes unnoticed in the Crimson Tide’s high-scoring offense. However, hiding behind Hentges’ grizzly beard and humbling smile is an alter ego — a cult hero his teammates call “Bubble Screen Hale.”

They don’t know about bubble screen Hale @HaleHentges https://t.co/Y1hNQIgd7B — Sosa Parks (@JHarv_41) September 23, 2018

Alabama fans received a brief glimpse at what they’ve been missing last week as Hentges pulled in two touchdown passes against Texas A&M. The 6-foot-5, 254-pound tight end first found the end zone in the second quarter, rolling off his defender before catching a wide-open pass from Tua Tagovailoa and side-stepping a leg tackle for a 23-yard score. His second touchdown came later in the quarter as he beat his man on a 6-yard rollout pass. “That’s obviously a side of me that I left in the past because here, I just love to block and I love doing those things,” Hentges said with a smile. “But it’s nice to get to kind of relive that a little bit.” That’s what Hentges would have you believe, that he’s just a lunch-pail player whose only job is to provide the elbow grease needed to keep the gears turning in Alabama’s mechanical attack. It’s the role he’s known for and one he’s thoroughly come to enjoy. But don’t fall for the trap, “Bubble Screen Hale” is still in there waiting for his moment to strike.

The birth of 'Bubble Screen Hale'



Hentges tried to tell his teammates, but no one would listen. A former three-star prospect, he piled up 169 career receptions for 2,559 yards and 34 touchdowns during his high school career at Helias Catholic in Jefferson, Mo. Those numbers were nice, but they did little to convince Alabama’s tight end unit of his playmaking prowess. “It was like, ‘all right Hale, sure,’” said Joseph Harvey, a former walk-on tight end at Alabama and friend of Hentges. “We understood Miller [Forristall] could do those things and Irv Smith could do those things, but Hale? Then he showed us.” After some friendly gibes and jabs, Hale finally took matters into his own hands, pulling up his high school highlight tape. A silence soon came over the room. “No one believed it. No one believed that was Hale,” Harvey said. “He was like, ‘Yeah guys, I’ve been trying to tell you this.’ We’re all sitting there in disbelief like, ‘Hale, that’s you?’ He was just sitting there slyly smiling. “They would rewind the film so much. Everyone would get a big kick out of Hale just giving the defender a little something at the top of the route. He’d just fake one way and go the other and make them look silly. We just loved it because you don’t see it that much. It’s kind of like a blue moon; it’s rare, but when it happens it’s beautiful.”

Tua Tagovailoa with a 23-yard pass to Hale Hentges for a touchdown. #Alabama 21, Texas A&M 10 with 6:50 left in the 2nd quarter



Follow game live online:https://t.co/MF9tX3b6NU pic.twitter.com/L0L8yKoJve — BamaInsider.com (@bamainsider) September 22, 2018

The nickname “Bubble Screen Hale” comes from Hentges’ favorite play in high school. Back then the do-it-all tight end was one of the biggest weapons in his father’s offense as Chris Hentges served as Helias’ offensive coordinator. “I used to always ask my dad, like, ‘Can I get a bubble screen?’" Hale said. "He would even run the speed-option with me at running back.” Despite having his son as a star player, Chris didn’t play favorites. In retrospect, he admits he probably should have found a way to get Hale even more involved in the offense. “Honestly it was difficult in our league to get him the ball because he was always double covered,” Chris said. “Bubble screens were just one of the easy ways we could get him the ball quick. He was big enough and strong enough that it was usually really positive when we got him the ball in space.” It didn’t take long for college coaches to take note. Starting his high school career as a 215-pound defensive end, Hale tallied 50 tackles and a team-high 5.5 sacks during his freshman season. The following February, Chris compiled a tape of roughly 12-15 of his son’s highlights and sent it out to a few schools. To his surprise, Bobby Petrino and Arkansas were the first to answer. “Coach Petrino calls back and says, ‘We’re going to offer him a scholarship.’ I was like, ‘What? You mean you’re going to recruit him.’ He said, ‘No we’re going to offer him a scholarship. We think this kid is going to be really special, and we want him to know that the Razorbacks are interested,’” Chris recalled. “That’s kind of when you knew this was real. Other schools followed that up with four or five offers his freshman year, and things really started to take off after that.” As Hale continued to grow into his 6-foot-5 frame, so did his offers. By the time he graduated, he was one of the more sought-after tight ends in the 2015 class with 31 offers from schools across the nation.

'Big 50'

Before “Bubble Screen Hale” there was “Big 50.” That’s the Hale that Josh Buffington remembers, the one who made his name on the hardwood as one of the most intimidating big men in Missouri’s Class 4. After all, the basketball court is where Hale’s underrated athleticism was first developed.

Buffington, Hale’s basketball coach at Helias, was one of the first to spot that talent and knew right away there was something special about the lanky eighth-grader in the North Carolina jersey. “I always called him Big 50. Everywhere I saw him he was wearing a Tyler Hansbrough jersey, and he played a lot like him,” Buffington said. “He was just physical, athletic and had a super high motor. He was one of the most physical players I’ve ever coached.” A dual-sport athlete, Hale earned first-team all-district honors in basketball all four years of high school, eclipsing the 1,000-point mark while averaging 10.8 points, 7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks over his career. The hard-nosed post player held his own against steep competition, going head-to-head with Missouri’s top talent, including current NBA players Michael Porter Jr. and OG Anunoby. “I don’t know if he was the best athlete on the floor, but he could still do things that a guy with his frame shouldn’t be able to do,” Buffington said. “It wasn’t a surprise when he went down the lane and jammed on somebody.” One of Buffington’s favorite memories came during a game against rival Jefferson City during Hales’ senior season. The game was one of many battles between Hale and Anunoby, who currently plays forward for the Toronto Raptors, as the two big men traded baskets on either side of the court. With Helias trailing by 13, Anunoby drove to the basket for what could have been the finishing blow. However, his dunk clanged off the rim, allowing Hale to bring the crowd to its feet at the other end. “We kick it up to Hale, and he hammers one home, and the place goes nuts. Next thing you know, we’re in overtime,” Buffington said. “Hale always had that big play for us. He loved going up against the big players in the big games. We played some high-level talent, and those were the times when Hale would always show up for us the most.”

Lunch pail Hale

Alabama head coach Nick Saban was quick to praise Hale this week following the tight ends two-touchdown performance against Texas A&M, calling the senior the “epitome” of everything he looks for in a player. “It’s really good to see him having some production, scoring a couple of touchdowns, catching a few passes, because he’s one of those guys that does a lot of dirty work when it comes to the blocking part of it,” Saban said. “And I always like to see a guy like that score and get some positive self-gratification for doing something that you all recognize, although we appreciate all the other stuff he does, too.”

On TE Hale Hentges, who scored 2 TDs Saturday:



"He's the epitome of all the intangibles you look for. He plays with a lot of toughness, a lot of effort. Very smart, works hard every day. It's really good to see him scoring a couple TDs."



Watch More: https://t.co/VKQ5dtcWc9 pic.twitter.com/sI78hCj95u — BamaInsider.com (@bamainsider) September 24, 2018