Alabama Reacts to Ryan Williams News on Thursday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are heading into a pivotal and highly anticipated 2025 college football season under second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer.

After missing the College Football Playoff in the first year of the expanded 12-team format — a major letdown for a program of Alabama’s stature — the pressure is on, and it’s falling squarely on DeBoer’s shoulders.

Still, the Crimson Tide roster is once again loaded with talent, and leading the way is sophomore wide receiver Ryan Williams, who played his entire freshman season at just 17 years old without missing a beat.

Now 18, with a year of experience under his belt, Williams has become one of the most talked-about players in the country — and he’s starting to get national recognition. On Thursday, Alabama announced that Williams has been named to the preseason watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, which honors the most versatile player in college football.

Paul Hornung Award ▶️ Most Versatile Player in College Football @ryanwms1

🔗: https://t.co/1pUo0zjIuF | #RollTidepic.twitter.com/54COQHnmxG

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) July 31, 2025

Ryan Williams hauled in 48 receptions for 865 receiving yards and eight touchdowns during his freshman campaign, averaging 18.0 yards per reception. Now, he’ll be debuting with a new quarterback this coming season.

After playing with multi-year starter Jalen Milroe last year, it is currently expected that Ty Simpson will be the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback, and that connection will be vital for Alabama’s success right from the start.

Williams was asked this offseason by a reporter to finish the sentence, “Ryan Williams is…” — which prompted him to say, “Your newest Heisman winner and national champion.”

He also spoke about the importance of doing whatever it takes to help the team win when asked to predict his stats.

“I’m gonna be honest — as many as we need,” Williams said. “I ain’t gonna lie. If that means I gotta score 40 touchdowns, then guess what I’m gonna do — I’m gonna score 40. So however many the team needs, that’s how many I’m gonna get.”

Related: Ohio State Reacts to Jeremiah Smith News on Monday

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.