Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer gives hilarious answer when asked why no one is talking about WR Ryan Williams this offseason
Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams was one of the most hyped players in college football during the majority of the 2024 season. Williams, who was 17 years old for his entire true freshman season in 2024, put together an incredible year for Alabama last fall, catching 48 passes for 865 yards and eight […]
Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams was one of the most hyped players in college football during the majority of the 2024 season.
Williams, who was 17 years old for his entire true freshman season in 2024, put together an incredible year for Alabama last fall, catching 48 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns (while every other football player in the country his age was still in high school)
The Alabama native had arguably the play of the year in the Crimson Tide's win against the Georgia Bulldogs when he made one of the most incredible touchdown catches I've ever seen.
The body control that Williams displayed during that catch was beyond elite. I've seen that clip 1,000 times and I'm still amazed by it.
It goes without saying that Williams should be even better in 2025 now that he has a year of experience under his belt.
But for whatever reason, Williams hasn't really been talked about much this offseason at the national level.
Maybe it's because Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith had a huge true freshman season of his own in 2024 (which included some big catches during the Buckeyes' national championship run).
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer has a (hilarious) theory of his own that centers around Williams' age.
"Well once he turned 18 everyone kind of forgot about him," joked DeBoer during an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning this week. "Here's the thing with Ryan, unfortunately at the end of spring ball, he suffered a little bit of a ding. And he'll be fine. He'll be ready to roll here this summer. But going all the way back to the month of January and just kind of him understanding even from last season where he needed to get better. It's being stronger, right? He's just younger, and so the body [is] maturing.
"And then him putting the work in and just being stronger, more durable, those types of things. He's got those instinctual things. But also the leadership piece is just something I'm really proud of with how he's trying to continue to grow."
There's no doubt that the national media reminded us constantly that Williams was only 17 years old last season. But that was for good reason — it's rare that true freshmen make an impact at all in the SEC. So a player that should be in high school making SEC defenses look silly isn't just impressive, it's unprecedented.
Williams should take a big step forward in 2025. And that should be a scary thought for SEC secondaries.
