Ryan Williams didn’t just burst onto the college football scene in 2024 - he lit it up. As a true freshman, the Alabama wideout looked every bit like the next great Crimson Tide receiver in a long line of them.
Highlight grabs? Check.
Explosive plays? Plenty.
He wrapped up his debut season with 48 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns, and his star rose quickly enough to land him on the cover of EA Sports College Football 26 alongside Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith.
But fast forward to the end of the 2025 season, and things haven’t quite followed the script.
Williams’ sophomore campaign has been solid, but not spectacular - and for a program like Alabama, that distinction matters. He finished the regular season with 43 receptions, 636 yards, and four touchdowns.
Those are respectable numbers, but for a player of his talent and expectations, they fall short of what many envisioned. The more concerning stat?
Williams has struggled with drops, ranking second in the nation with a 14.3% drop rate and 10 total drops, according to ESPN. That’s a glaring issue, especially for a team with national title aspirations.
The dip in production is noticeable. His yards per catch have slipped from 18.0 as a freshman to 14.8 this year, and he’s posted just one 100-yard game all season. For a player known for turning short passes into big gains, that’s a sign something’s off - whether it’s timing, confidence, or simply execution.
Still, Williams remains a key piece of Alabama’s offense heading into the Rose Bowl, where the Crimson Tide (11-3) will face undefeated No. 1 Indiana (13-0) in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal.
And make no mistake: Alabama will need more from him if they want to advance. The Hoosiers boast the fourth-best defense in the country, allowing just 257.2 yards per game.
Against a unit that stingy, every yard is earned - and every drop could be costly.
Despite the bumps in the road, Williams hasn’t wavered in his commitment to the program. With the transfer portal set to open on Jan. 2, speculation had started to swirl online about his future in Tuscaloosa. But Williams shut that down quickly during Rose Bowl media day.
“Of course,” he said when asked if he planned to be with Alabama in 2026. “I’m Alabama through and through. I have no intentions of being anywhere else.”
That’s the kind of answer coaches - and fans - love to hear. And Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is still betting on his young receiver to deliver when it matters most.
“He’s going to have a game like he’s had at different times where he goes off,” DeBoer told reporters. “And I’m just waiting for that moment because when it is, it’s going to be awesome.”
DeBoer also acknowledged that Williams’ season hasn’t been “perfect.” But perfection isn’t the ask. What Alabama needs is a step forward - a return to the dynamic playmaker who made defensive backs look helpless a year ago.
Williams turns 19 in February. He’s still young, still learning, and still loaded with upside.
The Rose Bowl offers a chance to flip the narrative - not just for this season, but for the future of Alabama’s offense. If Williams can find that extra gear, the Tide’s title hopes get a whole lot more real.