Tag: Ryan Williams

All incoming Alabama football freshman and transfer players numbers announced

Alabama football unveils new numbers for incoming players

The 2024 college football season is going to simply be pandemonium. From the 12-team playoffs to conference realignment to the rapidly changing NIL landscape, the sport is the Wild West right now.

For Alabama fans, that’s not even the main concern yet as we are still adapting to life post-[autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag]. It must be said that new head coach [autotag]Kalen DeBoer[/autotag] has done an outstanding job since taking over less than two months ago, but still the shock of not seeing Saban on the sideline for the first time since the 2006 season will take some getting used to.

When you lose a legend of the game, there is naturally going to be some turnover and a bit of a drop-off, but DeBoer has certainly minimized that. This new Alabama coaching staff is shaping up to be one of the better ones in recent years, the roster stayed pretty well intact and DeBoer absolutely lit it up on the recruiting trail. Now, we are getting to see some of his work come to fruition as Alabama football announced the jersey numbers of the incoming players.

Of note, Washington QB transfer [autotag]Austin Mack[/autotag] will wear No. 10, [autotag]Domani Jackson[/autotag] No. 1, [autotag]Jaylen Mbakwe[/autotag] No. 9 and [autotag]Dre Kirkpatrick Jr.[/autotag] No. 21. It is also expected that incoming phenom wide receiver [autotag]Ryan Williams[/autotag] will be wearing No. 2 for the Crimson Tide.

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Pre-Spring Position Preview: Breaking down the Alabama WRs

A closer look at the Alabama wide receivers ahead of spring practice

Before we know it, new Alabama head football coach Kalen DeBoer will hit the practice field with his Crimson Tide players for the first time when spring practice gets underway in March.

With the retirement of the legendary Nick Saban, there have not been this many question marks surrounding the football program since 2007 when Saban took over.

Contrary to popular belief, Alabama still has one of the most talented rosters in the country and should be right in the thick of the college football playoff conversation.

As the anticipation builds leading up to spring practice, Roll Tide Wire will preview each position group. We have already looked at the quarterbacks and the running backs, so now we will shift our focus to the Alabama wide receivers.

Alabama’s top newcomer expected to have immediate impact

ESPN tabs which player will be Alabama football’s top newcomer in 2024.

Alabama football enters the 2024 season with a great many unknowns. A new head coach, a handful of new players having to replace key contributors and a new-look SEC schedule. Another new aspect of the team is incoming transfers and recruits, but that happens every season.

ESPN’s Blake Baumgartner and Tom VanHaaren shared their picks for the top newcomers from every projected Top 25 team (subscription required).

For the Crimson Tide in 2024, their pick is incoming freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams. His recruitment was a roller coaster. The five-star prospect committed to Alabama, decommitted after Nick Saban retired and recommitted shortly after Kalen DeBoer was hired as head coach.

“Williams is the No. 1 receiver in this recruiting cycle and had been committed to Alabama before decommitting once Nick Saban retired. He considered offers from Texas A&M, Texas and LSU, but was willing to give the new Alabama staff a chance. It was a huge recruiting win for new Tide coach Kalen DeBoer, considering how important the passing game is to his offense and the outgoing production Alabama had at the position. Alabama lost Bond, Shazz Preston, Malik Benson and Ja’Corey Brooks to the transfer portal and is losing leading receiver Jermaine Burton to the NFL. Williams has an opportunity to start right away for Alabama and could have a big role in the success of the passing game in DeBoer’s first season.”

With Jalen Milroe returning as the team’s presumed starting quarterback, surrounding him with highly talented skill position players is key, and Williams is one of the most talented in the entire country. Many expect his presence to be felt immediately.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football as the 2024 offseason progresses.

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8 underclassmen that can play key roles for Alabama Football next season

Alabama has a lot of underclassmen that were highly-regarded coming out of high school. Roll Tide Wire takes a look at 10 underclassmen that can be key contributors for the Crimson Tide next season.

Each year, Alabama signs some of the top recruits in the country. There is no questioning the fact that Alabama has established depth from a talent standpoint. While it has not been proven by some, others have already solidified their spot as a starter and key contributor.

With that being the case, it will be interesting to see which players on the roster take on an increased role heading into next season. Throughout the spring and summer, it will be interesting to keep an eye on which underclassmen take strides towards being contributors during the 2024 season.

Roll Tide Wire takes a look at eight underclassmen that could play key roles for Alabama Football next season.

5-star Alabama wide receiver commit signs with Crimson Tide

5-star Alabama commit makes it official with the Crimson Tide

The recruitment of highly-touted wide receiver Ryan Williams has now concluded officially, as one of the nation’s premier players has signed with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Williams, a five-star wide receiver out of in-state Saraland High School in Alabama, is ranked as the nation’s No. 4 overall player in the 2024 class according to the 247Sports Composite. The five-star, who was originally in the 2025 class prior to reclassifying to 2024, is also the No. 3 wide receiver in the nation for the cycle, as well as the No. 2 player in the state of Alabama.

The back-to-back Mr. Football winner in Alabama across the last two seasons, Williams joins the Crimson Tide coming off a stellar high school career in which he posted 4,000+ all-purpose yards and 70+ touchdowns and is likely to make an immediate impact in Tuscaloosa next fall.

Williams is the highest-ranked of three players to sign with Alabama during National Signing Day on Wednesday, joined by four-star edge rusher Noah Carter and three-star linebacker Quinton Reese.

In-state LB Quinton Reese officially signs with the Alabama Crimson Tide

In-state LB Quinton Reese officially signs with Alabama

Three-star in-state linebacker [autotag]Quinton Reese[/autotag] made it official today as he put pen to paper to continue his football and academic careers at the University of Alabama. Reese has been committed since September of 2023 and decided to stick with the Tide despite the transition between coaches.

Alabama and UCF were the two Power Five offers that Reese received, so getting the opportunity to stay in-state to play for one of the best coaches in the country was too good to pass on. Reese attributes a very strong official visit combined with constant communication from the staff’s as the biggest factors in his decision.

Reese is the second player to sign today in addition to the electric five-star WR [autotag]Ryan Williams[/autotag].

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Top 5 recruiting wins for Alabama in the 2024 recruiting class

Here are some of Alabama football’s biggest wins from the 2024 recruiting class.

It took quite a bit of work for Alabama to hold on to some of the top recruits in the country for the 2024 recruiting class. After a coaching change, the general belief would be that numerous signees and current players on the roster would transfer or de-commit. That was not the case in a broader sense.

Alabama lost one signee from the 2024 recruiting class. Outside of that, the new coaching staff was able to sell the other signees on their futures as well as the future of the football program.

While the new coaching staff was not a factor in early national signing day, there were some key wins on the recruiting trail.

Roll Tide Wire takes a look at the top five recruiting wins in the  2024 recruiting class for the Alabama football program.

Elite 2024 WR Ryan Williams officially signs with Alabama

After a bit of excitement regarding his recruitment, Ryan Williams has officially signed with Alabama on National Signing Day.

Shortly after Nick Saban retired, elite 2024 wide receiver, Ryan Williams rescinded his verbal commitment to the Crimson Tide. The Alabama native is one of the top high school prospects in the country and opened up his recruit. Many believed this to be a sign that Alabama was out of the running.

There were expectations of interest from Auburn, Texas A&M, Texas and LSU. However, after Williams took some visits, he announced that he would be recommitting to the Tide and play for new head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Now, pen has been put to paper and Williams has signed his NLI. He will be coming to Tuscaloosa in the not-too-distant future.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football recruiting as the 2024 offseason progresses.

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Ryan Williams commitment is Alabama’s first big win of Kalen DeBoer era

Alabama has its first big recruiting win of the Kalen Deboer era.

On a night where the Crimson Tide defeated rival Auburn on the basketball court, the talk around Tuscaloosa on Wednesday was not Alabama’s 79-75 victory over the Tigers, but rather the commitment of Ryan Williams.

A highly-touted wide receiver in the 2024 class who reclassified from 2025, Williams had previously been an Alabama commit since October of 2022, but decided to decommit from the Crimson Tide earlier this month and re-open his recruitment when news broke that former head coach Nick Saban was retiring.

However, the five-star prospect would announce Wednesday night that he would be re-committing to the Crimson Tide’s 2024 class, becoming what was likely the first big recruiting win of the Kalen DeBoer era at Alabama.

For an Alabama wide receiver room that has to replace their top three pass catchers in Jermaine Burton, Isaiah Bond, and Amari Niblack next season, it’s hard to picture Williams not being an instant impact player in Alabama’s new look offense in 2024.

An in-state product out of Saraland High School in Alabama, Williams is considered as the No. 6 overall player in the 2024 class according to the 247Sports Composite, as well as the No. 3 wide receiver nationally. The five-star is also the back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year in Alabama, and has over 4,000+ all-purpose yards across the last three seasons combined, as well as 70+ touchdowns for one of the state’s top teams.

A truly electrifying player, don’t be surprised if Williams is one of Alabama’s top wide receivers instantly next season, as well as factoring into the return game in some form.

Ryan Williams recommits to Alabama, cancels official visit to Auburn

A top target for the 2024 class has recommitted to Alabama after a successful official visit with new Crimson Tide head coach Kalen Deboer.

Dreams of “The Freeze Five” have officially vanished.

[autotag]Ryan Williams[/autotag], a top target for Auburn’s 2024 class, announced Wednesday that he has recommitted to Alabama following an official visit to Tuscaloosa over the weekend. He was pursued heavily by Auburn after Williams reclassified to the 2024 class to pair him with [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag], and [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag] in Auburn’s wide receiver room.

The news comes as a surprise, as Williams originally planned to announce his college decision and sign on his birthday, Feb. 9. Williams took his official visit to Alabama last weekend to meet with new Crimson Tide head coach, Kalen Deboer. The meeting went well, as he decided to return his pledge to Alabama.

Following Williams’ announcement, Hayes Fawcett of On3 reported that Williams is shutting down his recruitment, which means that his official visit to Auburn on Feb. 3.

Auburn currently holds the No. 8 recruiting class according to 247Sports with three five-star signees: Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, and [autotag]Amaris Williams[/autotag]. Alabama moves to No. 3 following the commitment of Ryan Williams.

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