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College Football World Concerned About Alabama WR Ryan Williams

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Kevin Matthew Borba | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 9:36 PM ET

The Alabama Crimson Tide finds itself needing to do some soul-searching just one game into the season.

The Crimson Tide were tabbed as a 13.5-point favorite over an unranked Florida State squad heading into Saturday. However, in an extremely uncharacteristic showing, Alabama was pushed around by the Seminoles and were blown out by a score of 31-17.

Although the finger-pointing has ranged from the defense to new quarterback Ty Simpson and especially toward Kalen DeBoer, fans are also starting to grow concerned over the continued poor play of wide receiver Ryan Williams.

Before suffering a concussion in the fourth quarter, Williams had a quiet day, totaling five catches for just 30 yards and also had multiple drops.

The 2024 Freshman All-American selection has been in a noticeable slump as of late, with Al.com's Nick Kelly sharing a stat that has many fans worried that Williams has fizzled since his early hype last season.

Ryan Williams now has 10 consecutive games without 100 yards receiving. 4 consecutive games without a TD catch. Last 100+-yard game was against Georgia. Last TD catch was vs. Mercer.
— Nick Kelly (@_NickKelly) August 31, 2025

A trend that has fans concerned he has plateaued after a strong start to his career.

"We used to blame Milroe, I got nothing," wrote a fan.

"Time to hit the portal, Cal has a QB that needs a receiver," said another.

"He is not concerned with football. Got to much else going on," suggested a third.

"Not saying a word but sounds about right. Wait for next episode NewWave Podcast," commented a fourth.

"He’s over hyped. We’re all hung up on 1 play he had last year," chimed in another.

"He’s gotta let the extra things go and focus on football. Most hyped Bama player in a very long time and he’s definitely not living up to it," suggested one fan.

Although Williams had plenty of bright moments last season, he had just two games where he exceeded 100 yards receiving, with those coming against Western Kentucky (139) and Georgia (177). The Western Kentucky game, which saw Alabama win 63-0, was also the lone time in his career he has had more than one touchdown catch in a game.

There's still plenty of time for Williams to figure things out, but clearly, he is being held to a high standard that, as of now, looks difficult to maintain.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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