Alabama freshman receiver Ryan Williams helps Crimson Tide roll past Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. − When your nickname is Hollywood, mediocrity isn't an option.
When sales of t-shirts and hats are already tying your jersey number to touchdowns just a game into your college career, production is paramount.
Nobody can say Alabama freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams shies away from big expectations, and a quarter of the way through the 2024 season, the Crimson Tide's 17-year-old wunderkind is more than living up to them. The latest installment of Williams heroics helped lift No. 5 Alabama to a 42-10 win at Wisconsin on Saturday.
It began with a smooth touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone that erased an early 3-0 Wisconsin lead. Williams toasted Badgers cornerback R.J. Delancy on a go route to get open for a gorgeous, tightly-spiraled 31-yard pass from UA quarterback Jalen Milroe. Delancy was running even with Williams around the 20-yard line, but Williams' burst created plenty of separation for the catch by the time the two reached the end zone.
It was an explosive display of vertical speed, which this Alabama offense very much needs. And three games into the season, Williams has proven to be its best option for that role. One of Milroe's best attributes as a quarterback is throwing the deep ball, and Williams' wheels make him very difficult to overthrow.
This from a kid who won't even turn 18 until February.
Williams got behind the Wisconsin secondary again for a 47-yard catch in the second quarter, again using the speed that made him a coveted five-star recruit from Saraland High last year. It isn't imperative that he lead Alabama in receptions this season, but he's the sort of explosive threat who doesn't need many catches to make a major impact. That makes him the perfect receiving complement to Milroe's skill set, and you'd better believe that Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann will be scheming ways to contain him when the Bulldogs visit Tuscaloosa in two weeks.
When Milroe and Williams unveiled their line of shirts and hats with "4+2=6" − a nod to their jersey numbers equaling six points with TD passes − I'll admit to thinking "too soon." After all, the merch launch came just one game - against Western Kentucky, no less - into Williams' young career. And it is still just mid-September, with Alabama still 0-0 in SEC play.
But blazing speed like Williams has translates against any opponent. And this time, against a Big Ten foe on the road, he translated it to the tune of a 19.5 yards-per-catch average. No less of an authority than legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban, on ESPN's "College GameDay," compared Williams' start to former Crimson Tide star Amari Cooper's freshman campaign in 2012. All Cooper did that year was pull in 1,000 receiving yards on 59 catches to lead a receiving corps that won a national title.
Williams is it. He's that guy.
All the believers won't be on board until he's scoring touchdowns in SEC play.
Me, I've seen enough.