Alabama just got a major boost to its offense ahead of a home showdown against Wisconsin

The Alabama Crimson Tide offense is looking to continue where it left off this past weekend against Louisiana-Monroe. Granted, the opponent will be significantly more difficult with a Power Four Wisconsin team rolling into town, so expecting 73 points is beyond unfair, but on Wednesday, Kalen DeBoer and company got a major shot in the arm when it comes to the offense.

During the SEC Coaches Teleconference, DeBoer was speaking to the media and announced that star wide receiver Ryan Williams had passed concussion protocol and would be available this weekend against the Badgers.

“Ryan Williams, we expect him to play,” DeBoer told reporters on Wednesday.

What Ryan Williams means to Alabama

Williams was easily considered Alabama's most dynamic player, on either side of the football, entering the 2025 season. As a 17-year-old true freshman who should've been going through his senior year of high school, the instate product ended up leading the Crimson Tide in receiving yards (865), receiving touchdowns (8) and targets (87) while finishing second on the team with 48 receptions.

Obviously, Ohio State's freshman wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith, got the most attention for his role in a national title run for the Buckeyes, but Williams wasn't considered far behind due to his immense playmaking ability and timely impact plays a season ago, including the game-winning touchdown against Georgia.

Yes, his production dropped off as last season carried on, and it was a drastic drop, but there were also some issues with quarterback play that led to some of that decrease. Williams has only played in one game so far in 2025, and it was during a disappointing loss against Florida State where he was forced to leave the game early with a concussion. He was only able to secure five of his 11 targets for 30 yards before his departure, and that included three drops.

Despite everyone performing poorly, Williams has taken on what has seemed like excess scrutiny. Maybe that's due to everyone else having a chance to put more on display against Louisiana-Monroe, but Williams wasn't afforded that opportunity due to the concussion. He's still adjusting to being the primary slot receiver after playing a vast majority of his snaps outside in 2024, but he still brings that same game-breaking ability.

Fans should give him time to prove it. He didn't go from being one of the most electric and exciting players in college football to a player deserving the bench after one poor performance, especially when almost everyone else on the team struggled too. It's easy to understand the frustration when he's one of the highest paid players on the roster, but there needs to be a larger sample size before that type of criticism is warranted.