Ryan Williams is undoubtedly a top priority for Alabama football on the recruiting front with Kalen DeBoer officially being hired as the Crimson Tide’s head coach.
Williams is one of the nation’s top uncommitted 2024 prospects ahead of the traditional signing period in February. He garners a five-star rating from all major recruiting sites, and the Saraland High School product is still considered one of the top recruits in the country despite reclassifying from the 2025 recruiting class.
Alabama held a verbal commitment from Williams for more than a year. All signs pointed to him staying true to his decision and signing with Alabama in February until the news Nick Saban was retiring broke on Wednesday. The five-star de-committed soon after.
With a new head man in Tuscaloosa, the Tide can re-establish its position with Williams ahead of his February decision, and DeBoer looks to give Alabama a fighting chance to get the in-state recruit back on board.
DeBoer’s track record of passing the football and involving wide receivers in his offenses is strong. He has had his passing offense ranked within the top 30 of the FBS at stops at Fresno State, Indiana and Washington.
Washington led the FBS in passing yards per game during the last two football seasons. 2023 was one of the Huskies’ best years passing the football with Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Penix Jr. as their starting quarterback. Not only did the Huskies throw the football a lot, they spreaded it around as well. Washington had two 1,000-yard receivers last season and three other players, who had more than 400 receiving yards.
The Saraland product is definitely paying attention to the DeBoer hire as he liked several posts on X concerning the new Alabama head coach when news came out the former Washington coach was coming to Tuscaloosa.
DeBoer is also a former wide receiver, who played his college football at the University of Sioux Falls. He set a school record for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
Williams is currently on an official visit to Texas A&M. Alabama will look to make a strong push for Williams over the next few weeks alongside Auburn, the Aggies and Texas.
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Justin Smith is the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via jdsmith31smith
