There was no shortage of storylines coming out of Alabama football's dominant 48-10 season-opening win over East Carolina, but one of the biggest centered around wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams.
Coleman-Williams made some big plays for the Crimson Tide on Saturday, but he also had some struggles with drops early in the game. Considering his history with dropped passes, it would have been easy for outside observers to wonder whether Alabama might look elsewhere when it comes to its passing game.
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Kalen DeBoer made it clear that isn't happening.
After the win, Alabama's head coach was rather frank about the Crimson Tide's plans for Coleman-Williams moving forward.
"I thought he went out there and made some contested catches, too," DeBoer said. "We're gonna keep feeding him. He's a relentless worker, and he's gonna keep getting the ball. He had some catches in contact and caught some balls in traffic. And so, just getting out there, he's a captain for us.
"We're not gonna shy away from going to Ryan, I know that."
That's about as clear a vote of confidence as Coleman-Williams could ask for.
Alabama Isn't Going to Abandon Ryan Coleman-Williams
The drops are certainly something Coleman-Williams will need to clean up, particularly as Alabama moves into SEC play.
But DeBoer's comments make it clear that the Crimson Tide aren't going to allow a few mistakes to completely dictate how they use one of their most talented receivers.
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Coleman-Williams ultimately responded with a huge performance against East Carolina, finishing with five catches for 130 yards in Alabama's 48-10 victory.
That's important.
Instead of allowing the early mistakes to snowball, Coleman-Williams continued to get opportunities and eventually made the type of plays Alabama expects from him.
And that's exactly what DeBoer emphasized.
The Alabama coach pointed to Coleman-Williams' ability to make contested catches and come down with passes in traffic. Those are the plays that make the junior receiver such an important piece of the Crimson Tide offense.
DeBoer Trusts Coleman-Williams
Perhaps the most significant part of DeBoer's comments wasn't even about Coleman-Williams' performance.
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It was about trust.
Coleman-Williams is one of Alabama's captains, and DeBoer clearly views him as a player the Crimson Tide can rely on when the offense needs a play.
That's why Alabama isn't going to shy away from throwing his way.
The message from DeBoer is simple: make the mistakes, learn from them, and keep playing.
For Coleman-Williams, that's an opportunity he can't waste.
Alabama has a new starting quarterback in Keelon Russell
, and developing chemistry between Russell and his receivers will be critical as the season progresses. Russell threw for 249 yards in his first career start, with 130 of those yards going to Coleman-Williams.
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If Coleman-Williams can eliminate the drops while continuing to make contested catches and explosive plays, he could quickly become one of the most productive receivers in the SEC.
And judging by DeBoer's comments Saturday, Alabama has every intention of giving him plenty of opportunities to do exactly that.
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