What Alabama WR Ryan Williams learned training with DeVonta Smith

On the College Gameday Podcast, Alabama wide receiver, Ryan Williams told Rece Davis what it was like training with Alabama Heisman Trophy winner and current Philadelphia Eagle DeVonta Smith.

“He’s an amazing football player and an even better person just because he embraces you,” Williams told Davis. “I wouldn’t say he doesn’t like working out with other people, but he likes working out with certain people.” 

The sophomore receiver said Smith emphasized that perfecting the small things can separate the elite from the good.

“Everything that he does is very deliberate,” Williams said. “You can see his body movements, and if you look at him, he’s not the biggest guy. So, the way he can control his body is truly remarkable. I learned a lot about the little details on how I could do that for myself and take my game to the next level. We’re already pretty good athletes and pretty good football players, but diving into that small percentage, like say we’re in the highest percentile. But you have that small percentage you can work on, and when you dive into that, that’s when the biggest gains are made.”

When it comes to technique, this was the biggest takeaway that Williams had.

“Everything looks the same. Every time he comes off the ball, it all looks the same,” said Williams. “And that’s what you want as a receiver anyway. You want to make everything look vertical, and I’d just say the way he sinks his hips. I learned a lot and we really talked about that.”