Alabama 6-foot-5 sophomore wide receiver among second-year players standing out this spring

Derek Meadows earned praise from Kalen DeBoer Monday with his impressive performance this spring.

Meadows is gearing up for his sophomore season with the Tide. The former four-star and Las Vegas product looks to be well on his way to earning more snaps in year two in Tuscaloosa, according to DeBoer.

“We’ve had a lot of youth on the football field the last two years, but maybe a guy like Derek Meadows sticks out in my mind,” DeBoer said on “Hey Coach.” “You saw Lotzeir (Brooks) get on the football field at the receiver position, especially the second half of the season, but Derek is a long receiver that can really cover a lot of ground, has made a lot of nice plays here all spring.”

Meadows played in 12 games as a true freshman in 2025 and got to start against LSU. He primarily spent time playing on special teams last season. Unfortunately for the Tide, his playing time at wideout did not result in a catch.

The Tide appears to have multiple reasons to believe things will be different this season. Meadows was known for his ability to stretch the defense with down-the-field catches at Bishop Gorman High School.