Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams was one of the best players in college football in 2024 despite the fact that he spent the entire season as a 17 year old.
Williams, who turned 18 in February, caught 48 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. His game-winning touchdown reception against the Georgia Bulldogs was easily one of the top plays of the year (and easily one of the best plays I’ve ever seen on a football field).
Despite all the praise for the former five-star recruit, Williams isn’t looking back at his true freshman season as a wild success — he knows he can still take his game to another level.
“People are going to say it was solid, good,” said Williams this week. “I think I could have done a lot better. You know, left some plays out there. But that’s part of the journey. So, you know, it was alright.”
One big way that Williams is hoping to improve his game in 2025 is by adding weight this offseason, which will help him break tackles while also helping him improve as a blocker.
“Definitely, you know, I’m getting a little bigger, if y’all (reporters) can tell, just a little bit,” said Williams. “So, just trying to impact blocking. Because my guys blocked for me, so just trying to return that favor down the field blocking.”
100 percent, that’s a part of that,” added Williams when asked if the extra weight will help him break more tackles.
While Williams is focused on bulking up, he’s also making sure he doesn’t lose any of his explosiveness.
“Here at Alabama, I feel like our strength and conditioning does an amazing job of helping me — I get to eat a lot of the things I was already eating, so it doesn’t make it feel like I’m just trying to put weight on,” continued Williams. “It’s actually enjoyable. And then balancing that with the weight room. It makes it to where I can continue to be explosive.”
