Kalen DeBoer wrapped up Year Two in Tuscaloosa with eleven wins, an SEC Championship Game appearance, and a Playoff win. But in Alabama, the standard is always the national championship. That’s why, the Tide’s No. 2 2026 roster per 247Sports, which features multiple elite recruits, could be a game changer. Among those projected to start early is WR Cederian Morgan who enrolled early. Asked what Bama fans should expect, he laid out a clear plan.

“They’ll see me making a lot of plays,” Cederian Morgan said during practice. “We’re gonna put some points on the board.” 

The way he said it, you would think he’s getting a starting role in 2026. The Alexander City native arrived in Tuscaloosa as a consensus 4-star, No. 36 on the ESPN300, and a top-five WR nationally depending on the service. He’s one of the best players in the state of Alabama. But the stats from his high school are what jump out first. 

As a senior at Benjamin Russell High, Cederian Morgan caught 82 passes for 1,400 yards and 16 TDs. In 2024, he had 70 catches for 1,162 yards and 14 scores. At 6’4, 210 pounds, he is a bigger WR who caught the attention of departing LB Nikhai Hill-Green, who wrapped up his sixth and final college season with the Tide in 2025. He saw Morgan during those early bowl and Playoff prep practices and his reaction on The Bama Standard podcast was telling. 

“If I didn’t know he was an early enrollee, I would’ve thought he was already in the rotation to play,” he said. 

Kalen DeBoer backed it up, pointing to Cederian Morgan’s movement skills, his hands, and how strong he is at the catch point.

“Really impressed with him,” he said. “Moves extremely well, very fluid, big hands, catches the ball, very strong at the point of attack with the ball. I know a lot of guys, players included, were impressed with what they saw just in a couple of practices that he was with us.”

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NFL-bound WR Germie Bernard was one of them. Before heading to the 2026 NFL Draft, he didn’t sugarcoat what early enrollment can do because he lived it. He also made it clear Cederian Morgan wasn’t just physically ready. 

“He is going to be a good player,” he said. “He’s a big wide receiver. He listens very well. He takes coaching. It’s exciting to see a guy like that come here early. It really helped me in the long run, and I think it’s gonna help him elevate him more, elevate his game.”

All the praise going to Cederian Morgan only means one thing for returning ER Ryan Williams. Tough competition is on the horizon. 

Cederian Morgan puts Ryan Williams on alert

Alabama’s WR room doesn’t look anything like it did a year ago. Germie Bernard is headed to the NFL. Isaiah Horton is now at Texas A&M and Jaylen Mbakwe, Cole Adams, Jalen Hale, and Bubba Hampton are all gone. What remains is Ryan Williams, Lotzeir Brooks, Rico Scott, Derek Meadows, MJ Chirgwin, plus NC State transfer Noah Rogers and a freshman class led by Cedarian Morgan.

Ryan Williams, who was electric as a freshman in 2024, is the obvious name to start. But last season, he slipped a bit plagued by drop issues, recording 689 yards compared to his freshman season record of 865 yards. This slack could open doors for Cederian Morgan who’s winning the staff’s favor. Even the sophomore is aware of the competition looming. 

“Adversity will come… it’s not IF it’s WHEN and when that time comes how will you respond?” he wrote on Instagram. 

Kalen DeBoer recently called early playing time for freshmen a “necessity,” not a luxury. OC Ryan Grubb went further, naming Cederian Morgan outright and saying he “won’t have to wait long” to see the field. The star WR already seems comfortable with that idea. And at Alabama, confidence is a prerequisite and it might only be a matter of time before we see him actually starting on the field.