2026 Alabama Crimson Tide Position Preview: Wide Receivers

It's not often that a player or coach on one side of the Iron Bowl rivalry flips to the other, but that was the case even before the 2025 season ended.

Former Alabama wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard was hired as Oregon State's next head coach on Nov. 28, the day before the road matchup at Auburn. Shephard stayed in Tuscaloosa for that game and the SEC Championship before traveling to the first head-coaching job of his career. He spent two years at Alabama after an additional two seasons under head coach Kalen DeBoer at Washington.

The Crimson Tide brought in Derrick Nix to fill Shephard's role a couple of weeks later. Nix was Auburn's offensive coordinator and running backs coach in 2024 and 2025 before coaching the wide receivers at Ole Miss from 2020-23.

The 2025 Alabama starting wide receivers were set in stone well before the season started, as Ryan Coleman-Williams, Germie Bernard and Isaiah Horton held those spots. Coleman-Williams returned for 2026, but Bernard, who led UA in receptions and yards, exhausted his collegiate eligibility (he was then drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers) and Horton, who led Alabama in receiving touchdowns, transferred to Texas A&M.

In other words, two spots need to be filled, and most signs point to Lotzeir Brooks taking one of them, as he served as the first wide receiver off the bench last season. That third spot then gets tricky, as NC State transfer Noah Rogers, who was likely to start, sustained an injury on A-Day, which will sideline him during the early portion of the season.

In total, Alabama had five wide receivers transfer in the offseason, while Bernard was drafted. The Tide has five returners, two incoming transfers and four freshmen at the position. These pass-catchers will be targeted by Austin Mack and/or Keelon Russell, as those two have been competing in a quarterback battle for the ages. Let's take a look at the group Nix and company will develop.

After a sensational freshman year that made him a national prodigy and put him on the cover of a renowned video game franchise, Coleman-Williams' numbers were down across the board, and he had several drops to go along with it. He said during the 2025 season that the drops were a mental issue and not a physical one.

Nevertheless, the 19-year-old, who will be graduating in December after just 2 1/2 years of college, is embracing a new role as a leader heading into Year 3. It's led to big improvements from the Preseason All-SEC First Team member in the offseason, one of which has really stood out to DeBoer.

"Ryan's consistency was something all spring long that I know he should be feeling good about," DeBoer said after A-Day. "But Ryan's expectations are just like all of ours, that we expect elite performance. He's going to just continue to grind. He's a leader for us and our football team, and he can be because he works as hard as anyone that's out there. And so it's paying off. It's showing up.

"There's been a consistency. And I know people are always going to ask about catching the ball, and that's what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the consistency there. Not making just the easy ones, also making the hard ones, as we've seen him get accustomed to and make."

With Bernard and Horton gone, two starting wide receiver spots need to be filled alongside Coleman-Williams, and all signs point to Lotzeir Brooks taking one of them. Rico Scott was the first player off the bench at the beginning of last season, but Brooks quickly took over that role. The then-freshman finished with 32 receptions for 441 yards and a pair of scores — both coming in the College Football Playoff first-round road win over Oklahoma.

As he enters his sophomore year, Brooks has expectations to be the primary competitor with Coleman-Williams for targets. His career-highs of five receptions for 79 yards and the two touchdowns against the Sooners showed a flash of what could come from him this fall. Brooks made several big plays in games last season as a fringe four-star recruit coming off the bench, and he's someone to really watch in Year 2.

"He's got twitch, he's got the ability to separate, and then he's really good with the ball in his hands," DeBoer said after the Oklahoma CFP game. "... And so love the energy he brings. He's pretty loose, easy-going, and sometimes I make sure I've got to reel him in a little bit. But, man, that's when he's at his best. So, just let him be who he is."

The aforementioned Noah Rogers was perhaps the most likely candidate to join Coleman-Williams and Brooks in the starting lineup, but that took a turn when he sustained an injury while going for a jump ball in the end zone on A-Day. DeBoer said a couple of days after the spring scrimmage that the NC State transfer's setback will "bleed into the season," and at SEC Media Days last week in Tampa, he told Tide 100.9's Ryan Fowler that the receiver should "still miss some games," but he's done a "phenomenal job" recovering.

"He came in and really adapted to things so quickly, and our team just loves having him here," DeBoer said of Rogers on April 13. "Just to give you an idea of how positive he is, his response to me, even just with how excited he was to get back and being around the team, knowing how disappointed he is that he doesn't have a little recovery here that he's got to work through for his focus to be on the team and not about himself."

So, who will fill in for Rogers in the starting lineup, as DeBoer also said earlier in the offseason that he "stood out the most" among the wide receivers during the second spring scrimmage?

Rico Scott is perhaps the most likely of the bunch due to the junior's experience in DeBoer's system. Scott had a ton of hype ahead of the 2025 season after standing out in the summer due to his team-best sprinting speed of 23.4 miles per hour, but even after an impressive performance against Florida State, he'd be replaced by Brooks as the WR4. Scott initially planned to enter the transfer portal in January, but then decided to return to UA with hopes of an increased role. He could have the speed to get the job done, as he came back to Tuscaloosa for a reason.

For the second consecutive year, sophomore Derek Meadows is Alabama's tallest wide receiver, standing at 6-foot-5. He's a WR3 candidate because of his large catch radius and the advantages that come with it in the red zone and jump balls. Additionally, he had by far the most targets at A-Day with nine, resulting in five catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. DeBoer said on April 6 that Meadows "has had some big plays throughout the whole spring," and Coleman-Williams said after A-Day that Meadows' performance was "nothing that I didn't expect" due to him being "super consistent."

6-foot-4 freshman Cederian Morgan also had a couple of wild plays at A-Day, including a touchdown near the corner of the end zone, and a 40-yard catch-and-run — the longest gain by any player. Coleman-Williams shared that Morgan's nickname is "The Gulf of Mexico" because, "You throw it in there, he's going to catch it. He's got plenty of space." Coleman-Williams also gushed about Morgan at SEC Media Days for his eagerness to "learn all areas of the game," while All-SEC First Team safety Bray Hubbard believes Morgan is "going to have a huge role in our offense."

Tyler Henderson is another Alabama wide receiver who could see the field a decent amount, but he probably isn't in the running for the WR3 role. He's the other transfer among the unit, coming from Mississippi Gulf Community College. Henderson absolutely dominated last season, as he was named a JUCO All-American after leading the division in every receiving category. With this in mind, when asked to name a sleeper in the wide receivers' room, Coleman-Williams went with the "Triple Crown out of JUCO."

Alabama has four remaining scholarship receivers, and it'll be tough for them to see the field in competitive games. MJ Chirgwin is the lone returner of this group, as he received a scholarship in the offseason after four years as a walk-on. The other three are freshmen who were 3-star recruits: Maurice Mathis Jr., Aubrey Walker and Amari Sabb, the brother of Alabama safety Keon Sabb. You could find a more extensive profile on each of them at the end of this preview story.

Projected Early-Season Depth Chart

Wide Receiver - X
1. Ryan Coleman-Williams
2. Derek Meadows
3. Cederian Morgan

Wide Receiver - Z
1. Rico Scott, Derek Meadows or Cederian Morgan
2. Tyler Henderson
3. Maurice Mathis Jr.

Wide Receiver - Slot
1. Lotzeir Brooks
2. Rotation between Coleman-Williams, Scott and Henderson
3. Aubrey Walker
4. Amari Sabb
5. MJ Chirgwin

*Noah Rogers - Injured, should be No. 1 "Z" receiver when healthy

2026 Alabama Wide Receivers

Note: The NCAA eliminated redshirts during the summer, meaning Alabama lists its players as either a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, fifth-year or sixth-year on the official roster. Additionally, the roster hasn't been updated yet with new measurements, so the ones below are from the spring.

Ryan Coleman-Williams – Junior, 6-0, 182

Recorded 49 catches for 689 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games with 12 starts in 2025. He had a similar number of catches in 2024, but his yardage and score count were much higher as a freshman. Coleman-Williams will be Alabama's WR1, as he could potentially be picked in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft.

Lotzeir Brooks – Sophomore, 5-9, 193

Played in 14 games with one start, totaling 32 catches for 441 yards and two scores. The 2025 WR4 ranked second on the team with a 13.8 yards per catch and converted 19 first downs or touchdowns across his receptions. Should be the WR2 this season.

Noah Rogers – Senior, 6-2, 201

The offseason NC State transfer addition logged 33 receptions for 441 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games for the Wolfpack in 2025. He had expectations to be a starter at Alabama, but an A-Day injury will keep him sidelined during part of the season.

Rico Scott – Junior, 6-0, 198

Played in all 15 games in 2025 with three starts and 11 receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns. He was originally slated as Alabama's first receiver off the bench but then moved down the depth chart. Will be one of, if not the fastest player on this year's team and is eyeing the WR3 job.

Derek Meadows – Sophomore, 6-5, 215

Played in 12 games (one start) as a freshman in 2025 but didn't have a catch. He mostly worked on special teams with some offense sprinkled in, often as a blocker. Meadows has moved up the depth chart and has much higher expectations this fall as a pass-catcher and red zone threat.

Cederian Morgan – Freshman, 6-4, 223

Consensus top-50 national 2026 recruit from Benjamin Russell High School in Alexander City, Alabama. His large frame and catching ability show shades of fellow former highly touted in-state commit and NFL legend Julio Jones, as Morgan is also wearing jersey No. 8.

Tyler Henderson – Junior, 6-1, 173

JUCO All-American transfer from Mississippi Gulf Community College who logged 1,202 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on 67 receptions in 2025. Will be used as a depth piece, but is a sleeper to brea kout in the room.

Maurice Mathis Jr. – Freshman, 6-1, 186

Mathis initially committed to Samford on July 30, 2025, but after earning an offer from Alabama on Jan. 17, he changed his mind one day later. Vanderbilt was the only other Power Four program to send him an offer. The former 3-star recruit attended Houston County High School in Warner Robins, Georgia, where he hauled in 62 receptions for 1,207 yards and 16 touchdowns in 12 games in 2025-26. Mathis was the No. 67 prospect in his home state.

Aubrey Walker – Freshman, 5-10, 170

Moody High School athlete Aubrey Walker committed to Alabama on Jan. 22 and enrolled in the summer. The former 3-star prospect who was ranked as the No. 66 wide receiver in the state had 29 catches for 490 yards and seven touchdowns for Moody this season as part of the Blue Devils' 5A state championship run. He had previous offers from Troy, UAB, Alabama State and Western Kentucky.

Amari Sabb – Freshman, 5-9, 155

Sabb is the younger brother of Alabama Preseason Third Team All-SEC safety Keon Sabb, as he committed to the Tide on Feb. 3 and enrolled in the summer. Amari was considered the No. 21 overall athlete from the state of New Jersey at the time of his commitment, and he had over 5,000 career all-purpose yards and 61 touchdowns during his time as a wide receiver, running back and cornerback for Glassboro.

MJ Chirgwin – Fifth Year, 6-0, 195

When Chirgwin announced that he'd be returning to Alabama in mid-January, he included that his final season will be on scholarship after four years as a walk-on. He didn't play in 2023 or 2023 and his lone appearance in 2024 came in the latter stage of the season opener against Western Kentucky. However, in 2025, he recorded a total of two receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown in two appearances late against ULM and Eastern Illinois.

This is the fourth story of BamaCentral's summer position previews series. We're providing an in-depth look at every position group through the rest of July.

2026 Alabama Crimson Tide Position Preview: Quarterbacks

2026 Alabama Crimson Tide Position Preview: Running Backs

2026 Alabama Crimson Tide Position Preview: Tight Ends

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