Five-star WR Ryan Williams backs off Alabama pledge

Auburn target and former Alabama commit is back on the market following the retirement of Nick Saban.

The college football world was shaken on Wednesday afternoon after it was announced that Alabama head coach Nick Saban decided to retire following a career that spanned 28 seasons.

The news of his retirement could benefit Auburn in a myriad of ways, including the recruiting trail.

Shortly after Chris Low of ESPN broke the news of Saban’s retirement, Hayes Fawcett of On3 broke the news of five-star wide receiver and heavy Auburn target [autotag]Ryan Williams[/autotag]’s intention to de-commit from Alabama.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn coaching staff have signed four talented wide receivers to their 2024 recruiting haul: [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag], and [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag]. Not only has the coaching staff worked around the clock to flip Williams from his Alabama pledge, but so have the aforementioned receiver signees. Each signee hopes to sway Williams to join the Auburn roster so that they can complete the group that would be dubbed “The Freeze Five.”

Williams re-classified to the 2024 class, which makes him eligible to sign with a program this year. He has scheduled three official visits to Alabama, Texas, and Auburn, with Auburn getting the final visit during the weekend of Feb. 3 before officially announcing his next move on Feb. 7.

Williams is a five-star rated wide receiver by all major recruiting outlets. He is the No. 2 overall recruit from the state of Alabama behind Auburn signee Cam Coleman, and is a top-five receiver according to 247Sports, On3, ESPN, and Rivals.

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