Ryan Coleman-Williams’ opening-night line looked good on paper. The conversation around it did not.
Alabama’s junior receiver led the Crimson Tide with 130 receiving yards in Saturday’s 48-10 win over East Carolina on Sept. 5, but the performance also came with dropped passes and no trips to the end zone, which drew plenty of criticism from Alabama fans, TV voices and social media.
Inside the program, though, Derek Meadows wasn’t interested in the noise.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Sept. 8, Meadows said Coleman-Williams handled the ups and downs the right way at practice and brushed off the idea that the drops defined the day.
“He is always focused. No matter what happens, he moves on. Our coaches tell us things are going to happen in the game, it's how you respond to it, and he responds so well to everything,” Meadows said.
“Like, look, yeah, who cares if he had two drops? It's how he responded, so, you know, he constantly does that,” he continued.
Meadows also described Coleman-Williams as a “tremendous player” and praised the way he carries himself as a leader. He sounded confident that more productive outings are ahead, starting with Alabama’s Sept. 12 game at Kentucky.
The blocking drew attention too after ECU, with Coleman-Williams taking heat on social media for his work in that area. Meadows said the receivers know there’s still room to clean things up, but he was upbeat about the group’s effort overall.
“there's always something we can fix,” Meadows said.
Even with that, he made it clear where he stands on the unit’s progress.
“I think we're doing a helluva job in the blocking game,” Meadows said.
Alabama is set to play the Wildcats at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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