Ryan Grubb's Criteria for Choosing Alabama's Third Starting Wide Receiver

The Crimson Tide offensive coordinator details what it'll take for a wide receiver to join Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks in the starting lineup.

4/1/26 MFB MFB Spring Practice Alabama Football Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb Alabama Wide Receiver Cederian Morgan (8) Photo by Kent Gidley | Photo by Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama has a ton of position battles on its hands, including at the wide receiver spot.

Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks will both be starting, but that third spot is very much up for grabs. NC State transfer Noah Rogers, who was likely to start, sustained an injury on A-Day, which will sideline him during a portion of the season.

Alabama has multiple candidates to fill the vacant WR3 role, and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb shared the criteria for winning it.

"I think you're still looking at the guy that's going to make the most plays," Grubb said on Thursday after Alabama's second practice of fall camp. "But part of that is understanding there's more than just catching the football. The good part for us is I think we have 5-6 guys, especially when Noah gets back, that we can move around a lot of different spots.

"It's always been one of those things that I think makes this receiving core special, and we've used it in other places in that guys line up all over the place. Ryan [Coleman-Williams] on the outside, Ryan in the slot, just moving these guys around. Just moving these guys around. So I think one other piece is having a good command of the offense — those are the guys that are easy to plug in almost anywhere."

So, who will fill in for Rogers in the starting lineup?

Rico Scott is perhaps the most likely of the bunch due to the junior's experience in head coach Kalen 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 won't be the ultimate winner of the WR3 role. That said, the former JUCO Triple Crown winner was named a sleeper in the room by Coleman-Williams.

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