Ryan Coleman-Williams is walking into a big season with a new voice in his ear.
The Alabama junior wide receiver will be draft-eligible after this fall, and with Derrick Nix taking over as the Tide’s wide receiver coach, Coleman-Williams is getting a fresh set of details to sharpen his game. Nix is in his first season on the job, and for Coleman-Williams, that means a first chance to work through a new approach after spending his first two years in Tuscaloosa under JaMarcus Shephard.
What Nix has stressed most, Coleman-Williams said, is the full scope of how a receiver can shape an offense.
“Just focusing in on, I keep saying it, top of the route stuff to make it, make myself friendly for the quarterback. So, he will wanna throw it to me,” Coleman-Williams said on “Hey Coach” while discussing what Nix has told him to focus on.
“Down the field blocks to help out my running back, spring open big runs, just communicating throughout the huddle, off the field because there’s no such thing as over-communicating. I’m just extremely thankful that he’s pointed out those things, and it’s just been a heavy emphasis on being your best in all aspects of football.”
That’s a pretty clear checklist: clean up the route details, help in the run game, keep the communication flowing, and be dependable in every part of the offense. Coleman-Williams said Nix has shown him several “different ways” a receiver can affect the offense, and that message has landed.
He’s coming off a productive season, too. Coleman-Williams finished with 689 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 49 catches.
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For Alabama supporters, the result is hardly surprising in a state where Saturdays still shape the calendar, but it does hand Auburn fans a fresh talking point. The broader list also underscored how deeply college football runs through SEC territory, with markets such as Knoxville and several other league-related areas landing among the national leaders alongside places like Des Moines/Ames, Columbus, and Omaha. [Read more 🡒]