Rico Scott flirted with the Transfer Portal after a disappointing sophomore season in 2025. He was initially set to enter, but Kalen DeBoer and Alabama were able to convince him to return for a third season in Tuscaloosa.
Last year was supposed to be the breakout. After showing some promise in the bowl game following the 2024 season, Scott earned consistent praise throughout the last offseason and seemed to be headed toward a big role.
He scored a touchdown in the season-opening loss to Florida State, but he saw his role steadily decrease after the season-opener with the emergence of freshman Lotzeir Brooks. Alabama's starting trio last year was firmly entrenched with Ryan Coleman-Williams, Germie Bernard, and Isaiah Horton. Scott came into the season as WR4, but was ultimately surpassed by Brooks.
Scott finished the year with just 98 receiving yards on 11 total receptions. Five of those catches and 53 of those yards came during the first two weeks of the season. From there, he totaled just six receptions for 45 yards over the final 13 games.
Scott has a big opportunity in 2026, especially with NC State transfer Noah Rogers still recovering from a significant injury in the spring. Scott is the favorite to be the WR3 to open the season next to Coleman-Williams and Brooks, but he's going to feel a similar push from a pair of young, talented receivers. Sophomore Derek Meadows and freshman Cederian Morgan are knocking on the door for playing time.
Can Scott hold them off and secure a consistent role this year? Or will it be deja vu for the junior WR?
Ryan Grubb offers praise for junior WR Rico Scott after Tuesday's practice
Ryan Grubb had a lot of good things to say about Scott after practice on Tuesday.
"Rico, of late, his contested catches have really picked up," Grubb said. "And really one of the things that stood out to me is Rico’s starting to practice like the physical player that he is more consistently. It’s not that he never did. He’s a super physical, high-effort guy that’s in a lot of special teams as well, and it’s starting to show up all the time instead of like, ‘Man, there’s Rico,’ and then maybe a fall off here and there, just like any young player.
"But was really impressed. Like today stood out to me the way he practiced. Just his demeanor in between was really, really well.”
Scott's physicality as a blocker will be useful for Alabama, particularly in the perimeter run game. Running the football is a priority for the Crimson Tide this year. Last season's output on the ground was, frankly, embarrassing. The team and the coaching staff feel that. If Scott can bring the physicality with him every time he steps on the field, he's going to be tough to keep on the sideline.
But Alabama needs him to produce as a pass catcher when he's out there, too. He's a talented player, but staying in front of big guys like Meadows and Morgan won't be easy. They are talented young players who are starving for playing time, too.
It's possible, just like last season, that Scott sees his role diminish as the season wears on through no real fault of his own. Last year, Brooks' talent was just undeniable, and he would have unseated plenty of veterans across the country for playing time. The same could be said this year, especially for Morgan, who will continue to get more comfortable as the season progresses.
Scott is a capable and reliable player. Getting him back for this season was a major roster retention win for DeBoer and the staff. The opportunity is right in front of him to open the 2026 season. It's up to him to grab it and make himself indispensable.
Add us as a preferred source on Google