There’s no shortage of hype and discussion around Ryan Williams.
The freshman from Saraland earned that hype by what he did in high school, and it hasn’t slowed down now that he’s arrived in Tuscaloosa and joined Alabama football.
He showed off his athletic gifts in high school, which earned him five-star status as a recruit. But now he’s got the challenge of learning and adapting to the college game.
What will be key for Williams through preseason practices to develop so he will be ready for this level?
“You want every play to be amazing, explosive, but you just want him lining up right, doing the fundamental things, making the easy plays and then because of his ability, the big ones will come,” DeBoer said Wednesday. “When your route is on air, run a good route, catch the ball, accelerate out with good ball security. You find those consistent fundamentals, you stack days, and those plays we know he is capable of making will happen.”
Williams joins a receiver room that experienced plenty of shakeup in the offseason. Gone are Jermaine Burton, Isaiah Bond and Malik Benson. That leaves multiple open starting spots. Germie Bernard and Kendrick Law figure to be two of the top contenders for those openings. But Williams could work his way into some playing time before long.
During the first practice of fall camp on Wednesday, Williams made a couple of impressive catches during the short media viewing period. That included a one-handed grab.
Williams is supposed to be a senior in high school this fall, but instead, he is competing for playing time with the Crimson Tide. The next few weeks will go a long ways in determining what role he has this fall.