Why Rico Scott feels ‘prepared’ to be a weapon for Alabama at wide receiver

The Rico Scott hype train left the station when he flashed against Mercer last season, it picked up steam when former Alabama defensive back, Malachi Moore chose him as the player he expects to take a major step in 2025 and now it is going at full speed down the tracks with fall camp in full swing.

Scott committed to Alabama when Nick Saban was the Crimson Tide’s head coach. He signed as a member of the 2024 recruiting class, which forced him to choose if he wanted to stay at Alabama and play under Kalen DeBoer or hit the transfer portal when Nick Saban retired. He chose to stay.

The former four-star’s decision looks to have been a good one. He is now ‘prepared’ to play many meaningful snaps in a very talented wide receiver room.

Scott feels he has grown in several important areas as a wide receiver.

“I would say blocking for one,” Scott said. “In high school, I was bigger than most defensive backs I went against, but you get here, there is guys my size and bigger. I mean, everybody’s fast, everybody’s strong. So. I would just say from a technique standpoint, I had to get better at blocking, and, I mean, people mentioned my speed, but I had to really learn how to run full speed every route.”

Scott’s speed has been raved about during the offseason. Alabama’s offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb referred to him as one of the most explosive players on the Crimson Tide’s roster in a recent media availability.

“One of our fastest guys on the team,” Grubb said. “Super physical player, willing to run through people and then the level of detail he has in his route running for a young player and the versatility, he can play inside, outside, He’s going to be a presence this year.”

Alabama’s veteran wide receiver, Germie Bernard, who is considered to be a leader in the Crimson Tide’s wide receiver room, has been a mentor to Scott and other young Alabama wideouts. He is excited to see what the young wideout will do in 2025.

“Rico has been great,” Bernard said. “He ran 23 miles per hour, 23.5, like that’s moving. That guy has put a lot of work within the weight room, with off-the-field stuff, and he’s just continuing to improve. He asked a lot of questions. His knowledge of the game has expanded. I’m really excited to see what he’s going to step up and do for us.”

The emergence of the Pennsylvania native adds another layer of trusted depth to the Tide’s wide receiver room.