Lotzeir Brooks didn’t arrive at Alabama with the usual buildup. The Millville, N.J., receiver kept the process quiet, took very few visits and rarely talked publicly while other schools, including Penn State and Rutgers, tried to get him on campus.
Alabama offered him during an April 2024 visit, and Brooks committed two days later. There was no drama after that, just a straight line to Tuscaloosa.
He signed in the Early Signing Period, enrolled early and entered the program with the kind of buzz that usually comes only after a player starts flashing on Saturdays. Keelon Russell helped fan that early excitement in March of 2025 when he described Brooks as “phenomenal,” “very acrobatic” and “like a DeVonta Smith all over again.”
Kalen DeBoer was saying similar things around the same time. During spring practice, he called Brooks “really explosive” and praised the way he tracks the ball, adjusts late and finishes catches away from his body. DeBoer also pointed to Brooks’ ability to work downfield, not just in space after the catch.
That promise showed up fast in Brooks’ first season. He played in 14 games, started one and finished with 32 catches for 441 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores came in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Oklahoma, where DeBoer said Brooks showed a little bit of everything: separation, twitch and run-after-catch ability.
Now in his sophomore season, Brooks is turning that promise into something more dependable. He missed several fall practices, but DeBoer said in camp the staff didn’t “ expect him to miss any games or anything like that,” and Brooks has stayed on the field. He changed his number from 17 to 3, played 42 snaps in the opener against East Carolina and caught two passes for 23 yards in the win.
The bigger production has come since then. Over the next two games, at Kentucky and against Florida State in Bryant-Denny Stadium, Brooks totaled 13 catches for 155 yards. Against Florida State, he posted a career-high eight receptions for 101 yards in Alabama’s 50-36 win.
After that game, DeBoer said the growing connection between quarterback and receiver was obvious.
“The quarterback and the receiver just gelling,” DeBoer responded when asked about the development of Brooks following the 50-36 win over Florida State. “I think there are positions you want to put guys in to let them go one-on-one, windows you feel Keelon (Russell) probably favors throwing to.
It's going to continue to go. When you have more than one target and Ryan (Coleman-Williams) gets a lot of attention and now when Lotzeir is doing his thing; I like that.
I love that we are spreading the wealth to different guys and make it tougher to defend. But yeah, Lotzeir (Brooks) is doing a nice job.
I think being quarterback friendly, defining his route and being in a spot where the quarterback expects him to be.”
Brooks echoed that idea when he spoke after the win.
“I always work hard,” he told the media on Saturday night. “I always know the moment's going to come to me.”
Asked about helping out a young quarterback like Russell, Brooks kept it simple.
“He's young, so we all just try to help him as best as we can,” he responded. “Get lined up fast, whatever it is, we just try to help him have a calm and great game. If he plays good, if he's calm and not worried about anything, he's very very good.”
Russell pointed to the tempo element too, especially after Alabama scored three touchdowns in under three minutes of game clock to end the first half. One of those drives featured a sharp connection with Brooks.
“This offense is amazing,” the quarterback told the media. “Y'all see what we can do when we go fast.
Shoutout to two-minute situations where, I think, we scored two times in four plays. And that's the easy stuff.
Shoutout to coach (Ryan) Grubb for just calling the great plays down there. You know, getting the ball downfield and just getting us opportunities to just go out there and just play ball.”
Russell said the trust extends across the whole receiver group.
“It is everybody, honestly,” he responded. “All of the receivers, they are open.
Just give them the ball. They are ball players.
They are playmakers as well. A simple two-yard hitch route can turn into a touchdown if you get it into those guys hands.”
Brooks is making a strong case to be one of the most reliable options in that group, and his growing chemistry with Russell is a big reason why.
In Other News...
Alabamas Slow Starts Are About To Get Seriously Punished
Alabama has survived its first three games, but the early warning signs have been hard to miss. The Crimson Tide have needed second-half rallies to steady themselves, and that habit is about to be tested by a schedule that leaves very little room for slow starts. What looked like manageable early-season turbulence now sits in the shadow of a run that brings ranked opponents and real pressure almost immediately.
South Carolina and Mississippi State loom as the next checkpoints, and both carry enough intrigue to make Alabamas opening stretches matter even more. LaNorris Sellers and Kamario Taylor are among the names to watch in those matchups, but the broader concern for the Tide is simpler: if the sluggish opening quarters continue, the margin for error disappears fast once Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M and LSU all come into view. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Heads To South Carolina With Problems It Can't Keep Ignoring
Alabamas win over Florida State in Week 3 gave the offense plenty to like, with quarterback Keelon Russell helping the Tide score on nine consecutive drives. But the celebration came with a sharp reminder of how much cleaner the overall product still needs to be, because the defense gave up nearly 500 yards and 36 points in a game that could have easily turned into a much bigger conversation about balance.
As Alabama turns to South Carolina, the same issues are sitting right in front of it: slow starts that leave little margin for error, explosive plays that flip momentum, and third-down situations that have too often put the defense on its heels. Kane Wommacks unit will have to show it can sustain a better level for four quarters, because the Tide can afford to admire the offenses rhythm only if the other side of the ball stops creating new problems. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Win Was Comfortable But UTSA Exposed One Lingering Concern
Texas left Alabama with little doubt in Week 3, but the broader non-conference slate still gave the Crimson Tide something to think about. Across the American Conference, teams went 2-7 outside league play, and UTSA was one of the better examples of a team that at least found a little footing on one side of the ball. East Carolina also grabbed a needed win over Old Dominion after a rocky start, while Florida Atlantic and North Texas had mixed showings in their own games.
For Alabama, the comfort of the final result did not erase the fact that UTSA managed to reveal a lingering concern. The Roadrunners were better defensively than they had been earlier in the season, but their offense never really got going in the loss to Texas, which is the kind of uneven performance that can still matter for the Tides long view of where this team stands. Alabama got the win it wanted, but games like this are useful reminders that the details underneath the score still deserve a close look. [Read more 🡒]