Alabama Football Offensive Playmaker Darts for Transfer Portal; Scored 6 Touchdowns This Season

Williams is the third Crimson Tide player to enter the portal on Friday, including tight end Jax Porter and wide receiver Hayden Neighbors. Williams also joins LSU’s Logan Diggs, Ole Miss Rebels’ Jam Griffin, and Sevaughn Clark of the Georgia Bulldogs as running backs to declare for the transfer portal starting Thursday.

Roydell Williams: Four Years with Alabama Football

Williams joined Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide as a four-star prospect in the class of 2020. The Alabama native rushed 19 times for 71 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman sitting behind current Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris. Williams again played a reserve role in 2021, rushing 48 times for 284 yards and one touchdown. He broke 100 yards rushing for the first time in his career against Southern Mississippi early in the season, scampering for 110 yards on 11 carries. 

With the departure of starter Brian Robinson Jr. to the NFL, Williams earned a more significant role in 2022, playing alongside transfer Jahmyr Gibbs and fellow junior rusher Jase McClellan. The five-foot-ten, 210-pound back rushed 56 times for 250 yards and four scores. In early November, he scored twice in his team’s loss to the LSU Tigers.

Williams finished second on the team in rushing yards this season, tallying 560 yards and five touchdowns on 111 attempts. He also caught 11 passes for 58 yards and a score. However, Williams took a major backseat in the College Football Playoff, rushing only once in the Crimson Tide’s 27-20 overtime loss to the Michigan Wolverines. He had at least six carries in every game before the team’s final contest. 

Alabama Crimson Tide: Running Back Room for 2024

With the departure of Roydell Williams, the Crimson Tide could lean heavily on Jase McClellan next season. The team’s leading rusher, McClellan, accumulated 1,027 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns this season. However, he could leave for the NFL. The Alabama football program also houses former top recruits, Jam Miller and Justice Haynes. Miller rushed for 201 yards on 41 carries this season, while Haynes had 168 yards on 25 attempts. Both came to Tuscaloosa as top-end prospects. Meanwhile, Nick Saban and the Tide landed elite running back Kevin Riley for next year via the recruiting circuit.