So much oxygen has gone to who'll throw the football for the Crimson Tide in 2018.

The Jalen-Tua derby took quarterback conversations right over the edge even in football mad Alabama. As a resolution nears on that front, the small matter of who'll catch those passes -- you know, Part II of that transaction -- remains intriguing.

Considering first-round draft pick Calvin Ridley took such a chunk of the 2017 passing-game production to the NFL, there's relatively little anxiety about where this group of Alabama receivers enters a new season.

Not only did Ridley depart, starters Robert Foster and Cam Sims -- Nos. 4 and 5 respectively on the catch list last year -- are playing for NFL roster spots.

That talented group of sophomores so prominently displayed in the national title game help ease the concern with that experience moving on to the big league. Throw in a few talented newcomers and there appears to be a different level of balance with this group of targets for whoever throws the ball this season.

Of course, DeVonta Smith already has a career-defining moment for his 2nd-and-26 reception after midnight that January night in Atlanta.

Jerry Jeudy has the best stat line for returning receivers after catching 14 passes for 264 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He comes from the growing line of South Florida receivers that started with Amari Cooper and continued seamlessly with Ridley.

Then there's former high school track star Henry Ruggs III of Montgomery. Half of his 12 receptions freshman season went for touchdowns.

Then there are a few freshmen who have caught Nick Saban's eye in camp.

"I don't want to put a lot of pressure on them by talking about them right now," Saban said after the first scrimmage Aug. 11, "but they've done really, really well. I think that will be helpful. I think some of the older players that we have need to improve and accept the role, as well. I think a lot of the depth at that position is a little bit up in the air right now. That's one of the things I would allude to when I talked earlier about guys being able to mature that have not played to be able to make a positive contribution because of their discipline, toughness, ability to sustain, those types of things. Past those first three guys, we've really got to work on it."

Saban didn't name names with the newcomers, though quarterback Tua Tagovailoa dropped a few. He mentioned Jaylen Waddle, the freshman from Texas, as a potential "asset" in the offense. And slightly off the radar, Tagovailoa said senior Xavian Marks has impressed him.

"I think we'll be fine as far as what we can do at receiver," Tagovailoa said with confidence.

For Jeudy, an injury that limited his spring is well in the past with the opener against Louisville in Orlando looming.

Asked what he brings to this Alabama offense, a lack of hesitation spoke to his confidence.

"My style, I feel like I'm a great route runner," Jeudy said. "I know how to make plays when the ball is in my hand."

Jeudy said he's been learning from Ridley since they were in high school outside Fort Lauderdale.

The relatively soft-spoken DeVonta Smith said life hasn't really changed much since catching the game-winning pass in the national title game. People don't recognize him in public, though he had one of the longer autograph lines at fan day in early August. Smith also quickly dismisses any talk about the past as he prefers to look forward to 2018.

That doesn't mean he didn't take away plenty from Year 1 in crimson. He was struck by the speed of the game and not necessarily in the way most young players would say it.

"Just really how slow everything was in the game," he said. "You come out here and practice and do what you're supposed to do -- do what the coaches want you to do -- when you get to the game, it's slower."

Like Smith, Ruggs III had a touchdown catch against Georgia in the championship game. His 6-yard score in the third quarter was Tagovailoa's first touchdown pass of what became a historic performance. Jeudy also had a big 20-yard catch on the game-tying drive that moved Alabama to the 13-yard line late in the fourth quarter.

With Ruggs, his track speed became a weapon with this offense. His first five catches went for touchdowns as something of an end zone specialist coming off the bench.

"He's a good dude," Smith said of Ruggs. "On the field, off the field, always the same person. Always uplifting, an exciting person. That's him."

Often, the three rookies would come into the game at the same time like a hockey line change. It built the kind of continuity that would seemingly make the transition to bigger roles as sophomores a smooth one.

It's just a matter of who'll be throwing the passes their direction this fall.