One of the biggest, most highly anticipated games during Week 7 of the 2025 college football season came with a terrifying moment.
In the first quarter of No. 8 Alabama’s game at No. 14 Missouri, and with the score tied at seven, Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson tried connecting with wide receiver Derek Meadows across the middle on a second-and-7.
As Meadows tried bringing in the pass, which would have been about a 25-yard gain, he received a huge hit from Tigers safety Marvin Burks Jr. and was unable to hang on to the ball. Meadows stayed motionless on the turf, with Alabama team trainers and even head coach Kalen DeBoer rushing over immediately to him. He was confirmed with a concussion by DeBoer following the Crimson Tide’s 27-24 win.
Burks was flagged for targeting and ejected from the game. Here’s the latest on Meadows’ injury:
Derek Meadows injury update
In his postgame news conference with reporters, DeBoer confirmed that Meadows, along with running back Jam Miller, sustained a concussion from his hit.
Though as horrific as the scene on the field initially appeared, Meadows was able to leave the field without the help of a stretcher or cart.
According to ESPN sideline reporter Katie George, Alabama trainer Jeff Allen got to Meadows almost immediately after the play. He then stabilized Meadows’ neck and rolled him over onto his back. Once Meadows was face up, Allen and his team tested the freshman wideout’s mobility of his hands and legs. He was able to move both.
With medical personnel on either side of him, he was able to walk off the field on his own power. According to Colin Gay of the Tuscaloosa News, a part of the USA TODAY Network, Meadows returned to the Alabama sideline in street clothes later in the first half.
A rangy target at 6-foot-5, Meadows was a four-star recruit in the 2025 class coming out of national powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. He was rated as the No. 126 overall player in the 2025 class, including the No. 18 wide receiver, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.
The catch against Missouri would have been the first of Meadows’ college career.
