Alabama Crimson Tide Must Unlock Derek Meadows Starting Now

Going into the 2026 college football season, many were under the impression that Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Derek Meadows would have a much larger role within the offense than he had a year ago — myself included.

And early on, that appeared to be the case.

After all, Meadows caught three passes for 44 yards in Alabama's season-opening win over East Carolina, so it looked as if Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb were about to unleash their towering sophomore wide out.

But that is not what has happened.

Meadows has had just three catches since, and they all came over the last two weeks. In last Saturday's loss to Tennessee, he snared a couple of balls for just eight yards with Ryan Coleman-Williams sidelined.

That simply isn't enough.

With Coleman-Williams out, Lotzeir Brooks and Rico Scott have been Alabama's top two receivers, and Meadows has barely been on the outskirts.

In order for the Crimson Tide to truly unlock their offense against Texas A&M, I absolutely think Meadows needs to be involved.

Now, does Meadows need to have a monster game for 'Bama to beat the Aggies? No. In case you haven't noticed, Texas A&M has not been good this year.

But a strong performance from Meadows would certainly elevate the Alabama aerial attack, and it would increase its potential going forward for when Coleman-Williams does eventually return.

A former four-star recruit, Meadows possesses tremendous size at 6-foot-5 and has terrific athleticism to boot. He barely saw the field during his freshman campaign and suffered a concussion during his brief playing time in 2025.

But this was supposed to be the year that Meadows became a serious threat.

The general expectation was that the Las Vegas native would cement himself as the No. 3 receiver behind Coleman-Williams and Brooks, but Scott surprisingly beat him out for that role ... which didn't say much for Meadows' preparedness.

However, now that Alabama is in a bit of a pinch sans Coleman-Williams, there is no reason why Meadows shouldn't be getting the ball more.

I get it: 'Bama has a loaded receiving corps, also featuring pieces like Noah Rogers, Tyler Henderson and freshman Cederian Morgan.

But didn't you expect more usage out of Meadows here in 2026?

Perhaps it's finally time we saw the sophomore wide out in action, and a breakout game from Meadows could do wonders for Alabama moving forward.