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The Tuscaloosa News
How Ryan Williams has bought into 'elite' Alabama football wide receiver blocking
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- How Ryan Williams has bought into 'elite' Alabama football wide receiver blocking
When asked to describe the state of the Alabama football wide receiver room through the first three games, co-offensive coordinator JaMarcus Shephard eventually complimented the unit's explosiveness and tendency to shine in the clutch moments.
But first, Shepherd talked about his room's ability to block: how Kendrick Law does the "down and dirty work" as a "junkyard dog" of a wide receiver, how Germie Bernard is "not as violent" as Law in terms of blocking, but is "a technician," one who holds the right leverage in the right location.
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"We got to know who to block, how to block them," Shephard said. "But then we have to have a desire to want to block them."
It's a mentality, Shepherd said, even star freshman Ryan Williams has adapted to.
"Even Ryan, who's not the biggest guy, he gets into great body position," Williams said. "If you go back and watch a couple of those touchdown runs by the quarterback, even one in South Florida that got called back, I mean, Ryan's in perfect body position to prevent his guy from getting a hand on the defender. You don't always have to knock him down to be an elite blocker."
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Williams, a 6-foot, 175-pound freshman wide receiver, leads Alabama with 10 catches for 285 receiving yards. He has secured four of quarterback Jalen Milroe 's eight touchdown passes, and is the only wide receiver to have multiple scores.
According to Pro Football Focus, Williams is the third-best run blocker on the team, and the No. 1 run blocker in the wide receiver room.
After its off week, Alabama will take on Georgia at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Ryan Williams buys into 'elite' Alabama football wide receiver blocking
