Alabama WR Derek Meadows took a big hit during the first quarter going after a pass against Missouri on Saturday. In a scary moment, he appeared to be motionless after hitting the ground after the play.
The freshman wideout was quickly tended to by athletic staff on-hand before walking off the field with help. Missouri’s Marvin Burks was ejected for targeting on the play. Because the incident occurred in the first half, he will not miss the Tigers’ next matchup.
Meadows was taken to the locker room for further evaluation. However, he was able to re-join the Alabama sideline before halftime, albeit in street clothes.
“Jeff Allen, the head athletic trainer for Alabama, got to Meadows immediately while he was face down on the field,” ESPN’s Katie George said on the sideline. “They stabilized his neck, rolled him over onto his back.
“Once they stabilized the neck when he was face up, they started testing his mobility and movement of his hands and his legs. He was able to move both and he walked off the field under his own power.”
If he would have come down with the catch, it would have been the first of his young career. Meadows is a true freshman who was a four-star recruit as a part of Alabama’s 2025 recruiting class. He was the No. 103 overall prospect this past cycle.
A 6-foot-5 wideout out of Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, there’s high expectations for what he can accomplish in Tuscaloosa. Alabama will hope to have him back in the Crimson Tide’s lineup soon, though it remains to be seen if he’ll re-enter Saturday’s matchup against Missouri.
Meadows was an early enrollee as a part of this year’s recruiting class. He appeared to have made an impression on Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer during spring practices.
“Derek, when you look at him out there, you can pick him out anywhere, right?” DeBoer said at the time. “He’s long and has a presence about him. I saw a one-on-one rep today that was really neat to see him use his body. Sometimes guys that are like that, they’ve got that presence, but they don’t use it. And he used it. Really got a long wingspan, so just get the ball in the vicinity, and he’ll come down with it.”
At the time he left the game, the SEC matchup was tied at seven a piece after both teams scored on their opening drive. Missouri marched down the field on the first drive of the game, covering 78 yards in six plays during the opening 2:50 of regulation.
Alabama answered on their first opportunity on offense, running a more methodical, 11-play drive that spanned over six minutes in the first quarter. They also covered 78 yards, ending with a Ty Simpson TD strike to Kevin Riley.
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