How new assistant Derrick Nix can unlock Ryan Williams, rest of Alabama’s WRs

Sep 27, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams (2) on the field before the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Alabama failed to land star Auburn transfer receiver Cam Coleman earlier this offseason, but the Crimson Tide’s receiving corps should end up benefiting from an addition from the opposite side of the state. 

After JaMarcus Shephard left to become the head coach at Oregon State, Alabama filled its opening at receivers coach with Derrick Nix, who spent the past two seasons as Auburn’s offensive coordinator/running backs coach. 

Despite overseeing running backs at his last stop, Nix has experience coaching wide receivers at Ole Miss from 2020-23. During an appearance at the Senior Bowl in Mobile on Wednesday, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer discussed what he feels his team is getting with the addition of the new assistant. 

“I just think that, so far what I’ve seen is what I was hoping for,” DeBoer told reporters. “It’s a guy who’s been around the league, a guy who has the experience. I love the way he’s really down to earth and relates to our guys. They appreciate that already from him. Very diverse from a coaching standpoint. He’s coached different skill positions, different groups. Love how he’s been at, for the most part, places for long periods of time. Just some stability there is something that I think I appreciate. He didn’t really have a choice here at his last stop.

“Looking forward to working through the offense with him. A receiver guy, looking forward to some time with him and developing the guys we have. I think we’ve got a great group that he’s excited about coaching up.”

Nix developed several top receivers during his time at Ole Miss. During his first season coaching the position for the Rebels, he helped guide Elijah Moore to All-America honors, as the future second-round pick  led the nation in receiving yards per game (149.1) and receptions per game (10.8). 

In 2022, Nix oversaw an elite receiving unit that featured Malik Heath (60 receptions, 971 yards, five touchdowns) and Jonathan Mingo (51 receptions, 861 yards, five touchdowns). That production came despite a run-heavy Ole Miss offense that ranked third nationally, averaging 256.5 yards per game on the ground. The following year, Nix led a unit that saw three receivers rank in the top 12 in the SEC in receiving yards, including Tre Harris (985), Dayton Wade (830) and Jordan Watkins (741). 

This season, Nix will be in charge of an Alabama receiving corps led by Ryan Williams. After bursting onto the scene as a 17-year-old freshman with 48 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns during the 2024 season, Williams saw a drop in production last year, pulling in 49 catches for 689 yards and four scores. 

Last season, DeBoer attributed some of Williams’ lack of production to the receiver putting extra pressure on himself. One of Nix’s biggest jobs this season will be to help his star receiver regain his confidence while tapping back into his freshman form. 

“I think all of us, that’s our job as coaches,” DeBoer said. “In the development process, I mean, there’s a piece where it’s skill development, the piece with the psychological part, you know all that, it’s for every player. I would expect that from our coaches. As that pertains to Ryan, I think he’s gonna have a big year ahead. I’m excited to get to work with him here in the offseason, correct the things we feel are correctable and him continue to grow, and go have a big year.”

Alabama will be without two of its top three wideouts from last season as leading receiver Germie Bernard moves on to the NFL while Isaiah Horton transferred to Texas A&M. 

Along with Williams, the Tide returns rising sophomore Lotzier Brooks, who recorded 32 receptions for 441 yards and two touchdowns during a breakout freshman season last year. The Tide also brings back Rico Scott, as well as an emerging talent in Derek Meadows.  

Alabama added Louisville transfer Noah Rogers, who recorded 33 receptions for 441 yards and two touchdowns last season. The Tide also signed several promising freshman receivers, including four-star talent Cedarian Morgan, who ranks as the No. 39 overall player in the 247Sports Composite rankings.