Balling out on the biggest stage is nothing new to Alabama freshman wide receiver
Ryan Williams. On Saturday he caught a game-winning, 75-yard touchdown pass in front of 100,077 fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium as the Crimson Tide took down No. 2 Georgia 41-34.
Not only is Williams a freshman, but he is just 17 years old and won't turn 18 until February.
Originally a member of the Class of 2025 at
Saraland (Ala.), Williams enrolled at Alabama three semesters early after reclassifying to the Class of 2024 following his junior high school season.
In his final high school game, the Alabama 6A state championship, Williams topped 200 receiving yards and had three total touchdowns.
Ryan Williams rises for a catch against Spanish Fort last fall during his final season at Saraland. He caught six passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in this outing. (Photo: Ted Melton)
"When I saw him make that play I wasn't even surprised because I have seen him make plays like that his whole high school career," MaxPreps National Football Editor Zack Poff said.
Williams finished his high school career rated as the No. 4 overall player by
247Sports and the No. 3 wide receiver behind
Jeremiah Smith of
Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.) and
Cam Coleman of
Central (Phenix City, Ala.).
In four games at Alabama, Williams has 16 catches for 462 yards and five touchdowns. Putting up numbers in the biggest games has been in his DNA since he was a freshman at Saraland in 2021.
As a high school freshman he caught 27 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns while adding two more scores on the ground. In the spring, he reached the 6A state track and field championships in the 100 and 200 meters.
Williams broke out as a 15-year-old sophomore in 2022. The Spartans won the 6A state football championship as he caught 88 passes for 1,641 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also turned 57 carries into 700 yards and 15 scores, helping him earn a spot on the MaxPreps Sophomore All-America first team.
As a junior in 2023, Williams again shined in the 6A state title game. The then 16-year-old hauled in 12 receptions for 236 yards and two touchdowns while scoring another on the ground in a 31-28 loss, the final game of his career.
Williams ended the 2023 season with 72 catches for 1,324 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff and a punt for scores and had two rushing touchdowns in his final season at Saraland.
In his career Williams had 74 total touchdowns. Between rushing and receiving, he accumulated 4,332 yards.
As a junior he was named to the MaxPreps All-America team and was named Alabama Player of the Year after having 686 yards and nine touchdowns in the postseason.
The accolades are already rolling in at Alabama for Williams, who has 98 more receiving yards than any other freshman in the nation. He earned SEC Freshman of the Week accolades after turning both of his catches into touchdowns in the season-opener against Western Kentucky while tallying up 139 yards.
Williams again was named SEC Freshman of the Week for his six-catch, 177-yard day against Georgia.
