Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer previews Rose Bowl vs. top-ranked Indiana (2:27)
DeBoer explains how the Crimson Tide has kept their focus and energy high so they can avoid another slow start ahead of their matchup against the undefeated Hoosiers. (2:27)
-
Adam RittenbergDec 30, 2025, 02:45 PM ET
- College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.
LOS ANGELES — Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams intends to return to the team in 2026 despite a bumpy sophomore season.
Williams told AL.com on Tuesday that he’s «Alabama through and through,» adding that he has «no intentions of being anywhere else.» After earning first-team All-SEC honors and freshman All-America honors in 2024, when he surged onto the scene as a 17-year-old for Alabama, Williams has had fewer catches, yards and half as many touchdowns (4) this season.
The sophomore also has been prone to dropped passes. Williams is second nationally in highest percentage of drops (14.3) with 10 on the season. He had only one 100-yard receiving performance, in Week 3 against Wisconsin, and hasn’t eclipsed 45 receiving yards in a game since Oct. 25 at South Carolina. In 2024, Williams had touchdown catches in each of his first five games, including a 75-yarder to beat No. 2 Georgia in the closing minutes.
«I had a lot of ups, people considered last year, and just learning how to deal with those, and I’ve had a lot of downs, people considered this year, and I’ve learned how to deal with those,» Williams told ESPN at media day for the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential. «Really just an opportunity to stay human and have empathy for others, because I’ve been through some things. It’s been a blessing to go through all the ups, all the downs, all the arounds.»
Williams, who only turns 19 in February, admitted he had «some opportunities that I left on the table» this season. He has tried to work on ways he can impact the game without always having the ball in his hands. Germie Bernard leads Alabama with 60 receptions, and the team has leaned on Isaiah Horton and Lotzeir Brooks as the season has gone along.
«There’s other ways that I can affect the game, other than having 12 catches for 180 [yards], something like that,» Williams said. «That’s definitely something that every receiver, every football player, wants to do. But there’s other ways to be positive in the game and throughout the week. It’s just a blessing that I found those ways.»
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson called Williams «the most selfless person I’ve ever met in my life,» and praised the sophomore for impacting the locker room. Bernard told ESPN that Williams is «built» to handle pressure and adversity.
Williams is confident his best could still be coming, possibly on Thursday against No. 1 Indiana.
«That’s something at the front of my mind,» Williams said. «Just continue to be my best self, day in and day out, and really just maximize the opportunity when it comes.»
