How Does Brooks Emergence Affect Ryan Williams?

Alabama freshman wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks made his first career start for the Crimson Tide in Alabama's 73-0 win over the ULM Warhawks on Saturday night. Brooks hauled in four catches for 58 yards, largely playing as a slot receiver for the Crimson Tide.

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Brooks's emergence poses an interesting question for the Crimson Tide: What does Alabama do with Ryan Williams when he returns from concussion protocol?

Williams lined up primarily in the slot in week one, with Isaiah Horton and Germie Bernard lining up as the Tide's outside receivers. Williams posted his worst career game in an Alabama uniform, catching five passes for just 30 yards before exiting the game with a concussion late in the fourth quarter. The Alabama coaching staff seems to like the mismatch of Ryan Williams in the slot, but with the emergence of Lotzeir Brooks, does the plan for Williams change?

Kalen DeBoer was asked that question on Monday.

"I think that's certainly a really valid question and a thought process that we’re going to continue to go through," DeBoer said. "Lotty’s built up a lot of momentum. When I say Lotty— Lotzier. Built up a lot of momentum here in the last three or four weeks. He had a nice spring and made some plays on Saturday and so got some confidence in him. Made guys miss, had some big catches on third down. In the first game, he played with some aggression on some special teams plays that we were hoping for, and he came through."

One avenue Alabama could explore is to have the same starting three receivers as game one, with Isaiah Horton and Germie Bernard out wide (the X and Z receivers), with Ryan Williams lined up in the slot. Then, Alabama could shift into a different package, with Bernard and Williams lined up out wide with Brooks in the slot.

The latter group of Bernard, Williams, and Brooks provides bigger "big play" ability, with Williams and Brooks able to showcase their game-breaking speed. But the former lineup of Horton, Bernard, and Williams provides more veteran depth and could be a more consistent lineup for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama can experiment with the lineups during Saturday's game against Wisconsin, but needs to have a good idea of what the receiver rotation will look like when it heads to Athens, Georgia, for the date with the Bulldogs on September 27.

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_.