Alabama's Kalen DeBoer on WR Ryan Coleman-Williams: 'He wants it bad'

Kalen DeBoer is excited about what wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams can do for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2026.

Coleman-Williams is coming off a 2025 season that was a bit disappointing. A year after putting up 865 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman, Coleman-Williams notched just 689 yards and four touchdowns in his sophomore campaign.

Call it a sophomore slump. Call it whatever you want. The wideout from Mobile, Alabama, is clearly coming into 2026 with a renewed focus.

That focus came complete with some aesthetic changes. Ahead of spring camp, he changed his number from No. 2 to No. 1, which is what he wore in high school. He also changed his name from Ryan Williams to Ryan Coleman-Williams, adding his mother's last name to his own.

According to DeBoer, those changes in the spring have led to a determination during the summer offseason.

"He’s doing the work behind the scenes,“ DeBoer recently said at the SEC spring meetings, according to AL.com. ”It’s silent right now because no one is really paying attention and it’s summertime. The guy is grinding. He wants it bad. He’s the ultimate competitor."

Ryan Coleman-Williams setting up for a massive 2026 season for Alabama

Williams was stunning as a freshman. In fact, if it wasn't for the freshman season that all-world wideout Jeremiah Smith had at Ohio State, Williams would have been the most hyped-up young wide receiver in college football.

He made plays like this as a freshman: