One of the breakout stars of the 2024 college football season was Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams. The former five-star recruit announced himself to the world with an epic performance in a thrilling win over Georgia last September by catching six passes for 177 yards and a touchdown.
Since that game, Williams hasn’t recorded more than 100 yards receiving in a single game. He finished with 82 yards the following week against Vanderbilt and has yet to finish with at least 75 yards receiving since. In the first game of his sophomore season, Williams was limited to five catches for 30 yards in Alabama’s 31-17 upset loss to Florida State last weekend. Williams exited the game in the fourth quarter with a concussion and did not return.
Nick Saban disappointed by Alabama’s loss, says ‘Florida State dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides’
Brad Crawford
However, Williams’ lack of production in his team’s loss caught the attention of former Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron, who went on a lengthy rant during a podcast appearance this week.
“Your other prime leader on offense whether you like it or not is Ryan Williams,” McCarron said. “Because of his star power and how many plays he made last year, they moved him around (against Florida State) to try and help him so he not just stuck outside playing against roll coverage … They tried to move him inside slot. (It) was some of the worst route running I’ve ever seen in my life. Ever. He was nonexistent in this game.”
McCarron, who won two national championships at Alabama, said that Williams needs to “step up” and added that he is “not at that level” of Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
“He plays way too high, he doesn’t look any bigger, he doesn’t look any stronger, or any faster,” McCarron continued. “He runs way too high for a slot receiver. He was getting gloved in this game. I was standing on the sideline, watching it, with my own two eyes, right there on the sideline. Had a perfect view. And this kid was getting gloved. He needs to step up. All this hype and everything, guess what? You are not getting drafted off one year. You’re not Jeremiah Smith, brother. Jeremiah Smith could’ve came (out) last year and been the first pick overall. You’re not at that level. So step up, make plays and get open. You’re jogging way too many routes. Somebody needs to challenge him.”
Williams’ status for Alabama’s game this week against Louisiana-Monroe is in question, but coach Kalen DeBoer did provide a positive update on Wednesday about his status.
“(He’s) coming along, day-to-day,” DeBoer said. “He’s been on the practice field, going through — he’s doing the normal protocol. Coming along nicely. That’s probably the best way to explain it.”
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