Ryan Williams made his first appearance in an Alabama football uniform Saturday, and as expected, the true freshman wide receiver shined in his Crimson Tide debut.
Williams got the starting nod in his first collegiate game, going on to lead the team with 139 all-purpose yards and scoring two touchdowns in the 63-0 season-opening win over Western Kentucky . Williams actually was not listed to start, being listed as a backup to Kendrick Law on the depth chart the was released prior to kickoff. He did not realize he was starting, he said, until game time.
"I didn't know until the first play and he was like 'Ryan!'" Williams said postgame, being the only freshman to speak to the media. "Then I ran out there. It was a blessing."
Williams' first touchdown came in the first quarter off of an 84-yard go-route down the right side of the field. The second came late in the second quarter off of a 55-yard dig route up the middle of the field. He made two defenders miss in the process.
"It was a matter of doing what I needed to do for the team," Williams said. "Expanding the lead, just the excitement of adding some more points for our guys.
"Everybody just did their job, and you know, it just so happened that I ended up having the game that I did."
Williams technically is meant to be a senior in high school, reclassifying from the 2025 class to the 2024 class last December before joining the team this summer. Williams is the youngest member on the Alabama football roster.
"People forget that he's 17 years old, and he's a guy that came in the summertime," quarterback Jalen Milroe said postgame. "But I'm super excited for him. He's a guy that came in the summertime and put his head down and worked, tried to improve as much as possible as a player, and he did a really good job for us tonight."
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Williams seemed to pick up right where he left off at Bryant-Denny Stadium. He played at the venue nine months ago in the AHSAA Super 7 Championships, competing for a 6A state championship with Saraland. The Spartans ending up falling just short of the state title to Clay-Chalkville, 31-28, but Williams still shined. He finished with 343 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns, including an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Coming to Alabama , Williams was the Crimson Tide's highest-ranked recruit in the 2024 class. He also is a two-time Alabama Mr. Football winner, the first to accomplish such a feat.
Williams originally committed to Alabama in October 2022, decommitting in the wake of coach Nick Saban's retirement. Not long after Kalen DeBoer was named head coach, though, Williams recommitted on Jan. 24.
"He's got that big-play capability," DeBoer said after Saturday night's game. "He's done a lot of that in practice. I was excited to see him get out there. ... It's impressive that a guy his age can go out there and do the things he's doing. He's got a bright future, really fun to see him go out there and make those plays he did tonight."
Alabama continues its 2024 season at home against South Florida .
"I'm just playing ball," Williams. said. "Doing exactly what my guys need me to do."
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Ryan Williams shines in Alabama football debut with big-play TDs
