Alabama WR Ryan Williams is more than just a college football player

Ryan Williams is a star for the Alabama Crimson Tide on the field. 

Last season as a true freshman, Williams caught 48 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. He dazzled for the Crimson Tide, and if it wasn't for an otherworldly season by Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah, Williams would have easily been the most impressive freshman in recent memory.

Williams has also been a big part of this season for the No. 4 Crimson Tide, but what makes what he does on the field so much more impressive is all that he does off of it as well.

College athletes have essentially become businesspeople in the NIL era. They used to only represent their program, but now they can represent themselves and make millions doing. Throw in the demands of being, you know, in college, and it can all seem very overwhelming.

Williams takes it all in stride, though. Not only is he worth roughly $1.9M in NIL valuation, but he's on track to graduate from Alabama in three years.

Recently, head coach Kalen DeBoer gave a look into what life can be like for a player like Williams.

"There’s a lot of access to this guy. … NFL players and professional players, that is really their job. DeBoer said on the "Hey Coach and The Kalen DeBoer Show" (h/t On3). "He’s got all those things, and then getting pulled in a lot of directions even within our program as kind of one of the spokespersons – even being here tonight. Just a lot of these things going on. But he manages it well."

Alabama WR Ryan Williams a shining example of success in the NIL era

Williams is one of the shining examples of how to manage college football success in the NIL era. He has NIL deals with major brands like Beats by Dre, Nike, New Era, Uber Eats, Hollister and EA Sports, amongst others. That's a grouping that would make many NFL football players jealous, but that's the kind of star that Williams is.

The fact that he manages to represent all of those brands while still representing Alabama at an elite level on the field as a great student-athlete is commendable. The fact that he's on track to graduate in three years is really the story here, but Williams has been a star on the field as well.

Through seven games, he's caught 36 passes for 528 yards and four touchdowns. Again, it's worth remembering that he's only 18 years old. He truly is an impressive young man with a very bright future.