TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama wide receiver Noah Rogers is recovering from his A-Day knee injury much quicker than initially anticipated.Two days after A-Day, DeBoer said that Rogers' setback will "bleed into the season here a little bit." But at SEC Media Days on July 22, Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer said that Rogers was ahead of his original timeline and was doing a "phenomenal job" recovering, but he still "would expect him to still miss some games early in the season."Alabama posted photos from its 14th fall practice on Sunday at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and Rogers was one of the subjects (the picture above). It looks like he's working on contested jump balls in the photo with an analyst. It's important to note that he's wearing a crimson jersey rather than the non-contact black uniform."He had the chance to get on the field the last few days, and going back to spring, the spring game A-Day, when the injury happened, the timeline that he was on and where we expected is much ahead of that, and that's a tribute to his mindset, his positivity," DeBoer said on Monday."From the time he was diagnosed, he was still up here, and you know, just was not going to let it deter him from continuing forward and making the most of every day he could. And he's done that. Our team just celebrated him being back out here and moving around."He's not doing team drills or anything like that, but he's making a progression and he's much ahead of schedule from what we originally thought."The offseason NC State transfer finished his redshirt sophomore year with the Wolfpack totaling 33 receptions for 441 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games. In 2024, he logged very similar numbers: 35 receptions for 478 yards and one touchdown in 13 games. Rogers now has two seasons of eligibility remaining.The 2023 four-star prospect started his collegiate career at Ohio State, but he transferred to the Wolfpack after only seeing time in four games. The Rolesville, N.C., native was ranked as the No. 40 overall recruit, the No. 8 wide receiver and the No. 2 player in the state."Noah was balling, for sure," wide receiver Rico Scott said at Alabama Media Day on Aug. 8. "His injury is unfortunate, but he’s been great recovering. He’s working hard every day to get back out there. We definitely have to pick up the slack a little bit because he’s another extra playmaker we have with the offense. I wouldn’t say we’re slim, but there’s definitely a sense of urgency that comes with that.”"Noah’s still in the meeting rooms," wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks said at Media Day. "He’s still doing what he’s got to do to come back. He won’t be out very long. Everybody’s stepped up: Derek Meadows, Tyler Henderson, Cederian Morgan. Everybody stepped up in the spring, and we’re gonna be fine.”Rogers was expected to be Alabama's third starting wide receiver, alongside Ryan Coleman-Williams and Brooks, before the injury. But throughout his rehab, the Crimson Tide has held a competition for that vacant spot, with the main candidates being Scott, Derek Meadows and Morgan. Scott, a junior, and Meadows, a sophomore, are the frontrunners, but the younger of the two might have the edge."Yeah, Meadows got a lot more opportunities today, and that's a lot of times what it comes to," DeBoer said after the Crimson Tide's second and final scrimmage on Aug. 20. I thought Derek, and again, a lot of it's because of the opportunities you get, he got more opportunities today than most of the receiving core."This story will be updated with other injury news.Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads and Blue Sky for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow