Last season, Ryan Williams burst onto the scene as one of the best freshman wide receivers in college football. This year, even in a loaded wide receiver room with Williams, Germie Bernard, and Isaiah Horton, true freshman Lotzeir Brooks has been this year’s breakout star for Alabama.
Brooks is fifth on the team in targets this season, hauling in 16 of them for 255 yards. He’s quickly become one of Ty Simpson’s favorite receivers, with six targets in each of the last two weeks. However, Simpson will need to get by without him in Week 9 as Brooks will be out when the Tide play South Carolina in Columbia.
Brooks first emerged on the injury report on Thursday, listed as doubtful for the game. He was a surprising addition to the availability report and is now officially out for the game on Saturday. Alabama and South Carolina kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET at Williams-Brice Stadium.
With Brooks out, Simpson will need to rely more heavily on Williams, Bernard, and Horton, and another true freshman could see increased snaps. Derek Meadows hasn’t been very involved in the offense this season and was knocked out of the Tide’s Week 7 win over Missouri on a big hit over the middle of the field.
Meadows is back healthy and may find his way on the field. Before Brooks emerged as a young star and co-starter on the offense, Meadows was expected to be the top-producing member of the 2025 recruiting class. Meadows was a four-star recruit out of Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. He was rated as the No. 18 wide receiver in the country by 247Sports Composite, while Brooks, also a four-star, was No. 25.
Redshirt freshman Rico Scott could also see more snaps against the Gamecocks with Brooks out. Scott has eight catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns this season.
The Tide have enough offensive weapons to withstand such a loss, but Brooks’s absence does threaten to derail one of the hottest teams in the country. With a 37-20 win over Tennessee in Tuscaloosa last week, Alabama became the first team in conference history to win four consecutive games over ranked SEC opponents without a bye week in between.
That long stretch of games without a bye will end in Week 9 as the Tide enter their final bye of the season in Week 10.
Latest Lotzeir Brooks Week 9 injury update:
Alabama true freshman wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks is out for Alabama’s Week 9 matchup with South Carolina.
Kalen DeBoer, to CTSN pregame, said Lotzeir Brooks "got dinged up" in Alabama's win over Tennessee.
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) October 25, 2025
"Didn't turn the corner like we probably thought he was going to as the week went on."