Noah Rogers injury update: Kalen DeBoer says Alabama WR expected back during 2026 season after A-Day setback

Alabama received some clarity, but not necessarily immediate relief, regarding the status of transfer wide receiver Noah Rogers following his injury during A-Day. Speaking on Monday, head coach Kalen DeBoer confirmed that Rogers’ injury will extend into the 2026 season, though there is optimism he will return at some point during the year.

“Unfortunately he suffered an injury that’s gonna take a little while to recover,” DeBoer said via Mike Rodak. “It will bleed into the season here a little bit. I’m not gonna give a timeline exactly. He won’t be ready to go right when the season starts. We expect it to be a situation where he will be back during the season.”

Rogers’ first A-Day appearance with the Crimson Tide came to an abrupt end after a concerning sequence in the red zone. The transfer from NC State was targeted on a pass in the corner of the end zone, but was slow to get up following the play and was unable to put weight on his left leg.

He initially walked off with assistance from trainers before being taken to the medical tent. Shortly after, a cart was brought out to take him back to the locker room, with a brace visible on his left leg, a moment that immediately raised concern among teammates and coaches.

Prior to the injury, Rogers had been one of the more consistent standouts throughout spring practice. The former NC State receiver arrived in Tuscaloosa after two productive seasons with the Wolfpack, where he totaled 68 receptions for 919 yards and three touchdowns.

DeBoer had previously praised Rogers’ reliability and playmaking ability during camp: “Noah’s been consistent, had a couple nice catches, made some big plays there when we needed to,” DeBoer said earlier this spring. “Even sometimes short ones where we got to move the chains. He’d probably be the one that stood out the most.”

Now, Alabama will be forced to adjust its early-season plans without one of its expected top targets. The Crimson Tide still return playmakers at the position, including Ryan Coleman-Williams and Derek Meadows, but Rogers’ size and experience were expected to play a key role in the offense.

The timeline remains unclear, but the expectation is that Rogers will factor into Alabama’s plans later in the season if his recovery progresses as hoped. Alabama opens the 2026 campaign against East Carolina on Sept. 5 before quickly turning to SEC play with a road trip to Kentucky in Week 2.

— On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this article.