Alabama WR Ryan Williams accomplishes yet another wild feat following explosive true freshman season
The Alabama Football season didn't exactly go as planned. Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide not only failed to make the College Football Playoff, but they also fell short of 10 wins for the first time since the beginning of the Nick Saban era. But it wasn't all bad news. True freshman phenom five star […]
The Alabama Football season didn't exactly go as planned. Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide not only failed to make the College Football Playoff, but they also fell short of 10 wins for the first time since the beginning of the Nick Saban era. But it wasn't all bad news. True freshman phenom five star wide receiver Ryan Williams put together one of the greatest debut seasons in Alabama program history. Now, he's being honored for it.
Several Alabama wide receivers in recent memory have won All-American honors, but just about all of them did so in later seasons of their career. Jameson Williams, DeVonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy (twice), and Amari Cooper have all been All-Americans in the last decade for the Crimson Tide. Ryan Williams carries on that legacy now, and he does so as a true freshman.
The Football Writers Association of America released their full Freshman All-American Team on Tuesday and Ryan Williams was one of three wide receivers honored among the best in the nation. Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith (no surprise) and Clemson's Bryant Wesco were the other two true freshman wide receivers selected by the FWAA.
Ryan Williams accounted for nearly 30% of Alabama's receiving yards and almost 50% of the team's receiving touchdowns. Per Pro Football Focus, Williams tallied 2.51 yards per route run, good for 21st among all power conference wide receivers in the nation. He averaged 8.3 yards after the catch which ranked 7th, forcing 16 tackles on his 48 receptions.
Ryan Williams was explosive, efficient, and everything that Alabama fans could have ever hoped he would be as a 17-year-old true freshman. And he's only going to get better.
Now that Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has moved on to the 2025 NFL Draft, Williams will need to gain some chemistry with a brand new passer in 2025 and beyond. He's assuredly up to the task. And given how many of his targets were off the mark last season–nearly 30 of his 87 were out of reach–he might actually be in for a more consistent upgrade at QB.
It will be up to Kalen DeBoer to make sure that his young star has the perfect passer to help him develop into a true superstar. If Alabama is going to find any amount of success in the near future, ensuring that Ryan Williams is put in position to capitalize on his phenomenal talents will be paramount. Let's hope DeBoer finds a way to make that happen.
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