Alabama football saw once again how much of an impact a freshman can make last season, when Ryan Williams starred at wide receiver, while famously still being 17 years old. For the 2025 campaign, which will feature Kalen DeBoer’s first full recruiting class as the Crimson Tide’s head coach, there are a handful of potential breakout candidates who have just arrived on campus.
With spring in the rearview mirror, and preseason camp still to come ahead of UA’s Aug. 30 season-opener at Florida State, here’s three freshmen who could make a major impact in 2025.
Lotzeir Brooks
It would appear that the Crimson Tide’s strong lineage at wide receiver will continue for the foreseeable future. Brooks could play a big role in keeping Alabama strong at wideout.
“I would say that’s probably his starting point right there,” DeBoer said of Brooks playing the slot. “You think right away ‘get the ball to him and let him do his thing’, but he’s really good down the field too. Has really good body control, can win on defenders down the field and not just in the first couple yards and when he’s got the ball in his hands. So he’s been really impressive.”
Brooks made several impressive catches during Alabama’s A-Day open practice. The best came in 7-on-7 drills, when Austin Mack underthrew the freshman, who made a perfect adjustment to snag the pass.
Alabama is stacked atop the wideout depth chart, with Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard and Isaiah Horton expected to carry most of the load there. However, Brooks seems like he will be difficult to keep off the field as he continues to develop.
Derek Meadows
Brooks isn’t the only freshman wide receiver with the potential to show out for Alabama in 2025. The Crimson Tide is getting taller throughout the position group, and Meadows, who joins from Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, is no exception.
The 6-foot-5, 208-pound Brooks turned heads immediately during spring practice.
“Derek, when you look at him out there, you can pick him out anywhere, right?” DeBoer said in March. “He’s long and has a presence about him. I saw a one-on-one rep today that was really neat to see him use his body. Sometimes guys that are like that, they’ve got that presence, but they don’t use it. And he used it. Really got a long wingspan, so just get the ball in the vicinity, and he’ll come down with it.”
Meadows made multiple nice catches on A-Day, and could be another candidate for a breakout freshman year in Tuscaloosa.
Michael Carroll
Carroll was a key part of DeBoer’s 2025 recruiting class, as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the country. Early in spring, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb noted that Carroll had a long ways to go, but as the practices progressed, so did the youngster.
He could make an impact at guard still, but as Alabama moved players around through the spring, he also was playing at tackle. After A-Day, DeBoer praised the youngster’s versatility.
“Michael probably was recruited more as a guard, and he might become that someday, I don’t know, but right now he’s got that position flex,” DeBoer said. “That’s really key for us and he’s got a mindset about him.”
It’s hard to be a freshman offensive lineman in the SEC, and Alabama has players ahead of Carroll across the line. However, a few injuries, and the freshman could find himself making a big impact on the Tide’s fortunes well ahead of schedule.
