The nature of the Transfer Portal is that guys with inconsistent roles aren't likely to stick around more than two years anymore.
That appears to be the case for talented redshirt freshman WR Rico Scott, who plans to enter the portal according to On3's Hayes Fawcett.
BREAKING: Alabama WR Rico Scott is entering the @TransferPortal, sources tell @on3sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 4, 2026
He was ranked as a four-star recruit coming out of high school (per On3)https://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/5mLXY8zlJ4
Scott opened the season as Alabama's WR4 behind the trio of Germie Bernard, Ryan Williams, and Isaiah Horton. But the emergence of freshman Lotzeir Brooks reduced Scott to an even smaller role. That role was likely not going to increase next year with Williams and Brooks coming back. Horton is still weighing his NFL Draft decision, and the Crimson Tide is big-game hunting with Auburn WR Cam Coleman. Scott saw the writing on the wall.
Rico Scott joins four other Alabama WRs in the Transfer Portal
Scott becomes the fifth Alabama WR to enter the Transfer Portal since it opened on Friday. He joins Bubba Hampton, Jaylen Mbakwe, Jalen Hale, and Cole Adams. Scott is the first one who really contributed to the offense in 2025.
In his second season in Tuscaloosa, Scott caught 11 passes for 98 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Scott saw playing time in every game, the majority of which came on special teams. After catching two passes for 12 yards against South Carolina in late October, Scott only recorded a statistic in one game the rest of the year. He caught one pass for 11 yards against Eastern Illinois in the Crimson Tide's home finale.
Alabama will be looking for multiple receivers in the Transfer Portal now, regardless of the decision that gets made by Horton.
Even if Horton comes back, Kalen DeBoer only has five wide receivers to work with for next season. That's four returning players in Williams, Horton, Brooks, and Derek Meadows, along with incoming true freshman Cederian Morgan.
Whether or not Coleman is a realistic option for the Crimson Tide remains to be seen, but DeBoer, GM Courtney Morgan, and new WR coach Derrick Nix are going to need to replace quite a bit of depth in the portal.