With Alabama still sorting out its wide receiver rotation, Rico Scott has already carved out the role that was there for the taking. Through five games, he’s become the clear third option in the Crimson Tide passing game, stacking up 16 catches for 196 yards and three touchdowns.
That leaves Derek Meadows and true freshman Cederian Morgan on the outside looking in for now, but Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb isn’t treating their limited snaps as a setback. He pointed to Germie Bernard’s path as the model for patience.
"We do develop players, and develop receivers that end up being great players,” Grubb said on Monday. “Germie Bernard took 3 years to grow into the guy he was."
Bernard’s own route to Alabama fits the lesson Grubb was trying to drive home. He arrived in Tuscaloosa with head coach Kalen DeBoer in 2024 after two seasons at Washington, where he had been a four-star recruit but still had to wait behind Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan. That trio helped power the Huskies to the national championship game and then heard their names called in the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft.
For Meadows, the early-season buzz came fast. He flashed against East Carolina with three receptions for 44 yards in Week 1, enough to make people wonder if his breakout had arrived. Since then, though, he hasn’t added another catch.
Morgan’s situation has looked different, but the playing time has been just as limited. The five-star from Alexander City has drawn Julio Jones comparisons because of his size and the way he can win the ball all over the field.
He also wears No. 8, just like Jones did. Still, for most of the season, he has watched from the sideline, with his lone catch of the year doubling as his first collegiate touchdown.
So for now, Scott has the job, and he’s not letting it go without a fight. But Grubb’s message to the two younger receivers was clear: Alabama’s development track can take time, and Bernard’s rise is proof there’s still room for Meadows and Morgan to grow into bigger roles.
In Other News...
Alabama Commit Is Building A Senior Season Fans Can't Ignore
Ty Keys and Kole Moody are turning heads in a senior season that has already become part of the weekly conversation around high school football in the Southeast. Keys put together a monster outing with nearly 350 rushing yards in one game, while Moody found the end zone nine times, a total that stands third-most in Alabama history. For Alabama fans following the recruiting trail, performances like these are the kind that get noticed well beyond Friday nights.
Elsewhere across Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia, quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and defensive playmakers kept stacking up standout nights, adding to a loaded stretch of late-season football in the region. For a program like Alabama, which always has an eye on what future contributors are doing, the rise of big individual performances only adds to the intrigue, even if the full story of how these seasons finish is still playing out. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Fans Can Stop Stressing Over This Before Georgia
There has been plenty of hand-wringing around Alabamas matchup with Georgia, but the bigger takeaway is simpler than the anxiety suggests: this is the kind of game the Crimson Tide expected to be playing in September. Alabama is favored, yet nobody around the program should mistake that for a comfortable afternoon, especially with Kirby Smarts team bringing the usual mix of discipline, talent, and physical edge that has made Georgia such a tough out.
Even so, there are a few things Alabama fans can probably stop losing sleep over before kickoff. The debate is less about whether the Tide can handle the moment and more about how theyll navigate the usual playoff-caliber demands that come with playing Georgia. If Alabama does what it has spent the week preparing to do, the conversation afterward may have more to do with how the Tide managed the game than whether they were ready for it at all. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Created A New Alabama Worry Before October 17
Tennessees quarterback picture is suddenly worth watching well beyond this weekend, and Alabama is part of the reason why. With Faizon Brandon still dealing with a lingering shoulder injury, George MacIntyre is lined up to make his first career start against Arkansas after already helping Tennessee to a win when he stepped in for Brandon in a recent game.
What happens next could shape the Volunteers approach when they line up against Alabama on October 17. If Brandon is healthy again, Tennessee will still have a decision to make, but MacIntyres showing as the starter now could make the choice a much tougher one than it looked a week ago. [Read more 🡒]