Freshman WR Cederian Morgan Poised to Contribute Early

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama has shown a commitment to playing freshmen wide receivers early, with Ryan Coleman-Williams bursting onto the scene in his first collegiate game and Lotzeir Brooks earning reps in clutch moments in Alabama's midseason matchup with Missouri last season.

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The next in line is former four-star, Benjamin Russell wide receiver Cederian Morgan, who is a big-bodied receiver who can make contested catches. Morgan is competing with second-year wide receiver Derek Meadows, another big-bodied receiver, for the Tide's third wide receiver position.

"Cedarian certainly has got to be a part of the mix there, the receiving core, just with the skill set he has. And, you know, I think he's learned a lot. He's grown. He understands, I think, the difference between high school. All our guys that come in as freshmen, they are starting to understand that they’re, ‘Oh, this is not a couple weeks of fall camp, and you know you're the highlighted guy, and so you know we'll work around you.’ I mean, he’s had to earn it," head coach Kalen DeBoer said on Monday.

"And it's not just offensively, but we need him in special teams roles at times. And you got to do this now. I mean, we've been going, what, four and a half weeks now. It's going to be four and a half weeks before the first game. And so the intensity and sustaining that level of intensity, I think, is one thing that he, as well as all of our other freshmen, learn. But you know he's got the tools; he's got the skill set to go out there. You know, he can play big. You know, and now it's just a matter of getting some snaps under his belt so he can play confident, just like we're talking about a guy like Keelon Russell."

As a senior at Benjamin Russell last season, Morgan caught 82 passes for 1,419 yards and 16 touchdowns. He signed with Alabama over Georgia, Auburn, and LSU.

Alabama is scheduled to open the 2026 season hosting the East Carolina Pirates on Saturday, September 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CT.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.