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Alabama’s Ryan Williams Doesn’t Hold Back in Warning to Vanderbilt

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 1:52 PM ET

The Alabama Crimson Tide head into Year 2 under head coach Kalen DeBoer, looking to bounce back from their worst season since 2007. They finished 9-4 last year, marking their most losses in a single season since Nick Saban’s first year at the helm.

One of those losses came at the hands of the Vanderbilt Commodores. Alabama fell 40-35 in Nashville, suffering its first loss to Vanderbilt since 1984. To make matters worse, the Crimson Tide entered that game as the No. 1 team in the nation and a 23.5-point favorite.

Losing to Vanderbilt once is unacceptable in the eyes of Alabama fans, but in back-to-back years? That absolutely cannot happen. The last time Alabama lost consecutive games to Vanderbilt was in 1955 and 1956.

Alabama star wide receiver Ryan Williams was recently a guest on Jon Gruden’s "Inside the FFCA."

When Gruden asked him about the Tide facing the Commodores again this season, Williams didn’t hold back, saying, "We’re going to kill an ant with a sledgehammer this year."

"Going into this game, we don't call them revenge games, so we're going to kill an ant with a sledgehammer this year," Williams said. "So, I mean, just every game that we fell short last year, we definitely got red eyes going into them."

Williams also admitted Vanderbilt "played a better football game" than Alabama last season.

"They just played a better football game than us this game," Williams added. "We came out slow, and they capitalized. They held the ball, they had their game plan, and they executed."

Alabama's loss to Vanderbilt last season SHOCKED college football, and I got to ask Ryan Williams how Alabama dealt with that and how they will respond this season! pic.twitter.com/n4PtzgIAt8
— Jon Gruden (@BarstoolGruden) June 2, 2025