Will Ryan Williams bounce back from his sophomore slump in 2026?

Oct 26, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams (2) walks toward the home locker room after a victory over the Missouri Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images

On Aug. 31, 2024, the Alabama Crimson Tide opened its campaign with a night game matchup against Western Kentucky. If the Tide made clear one thing during that game, it was that it likely had the best freshman in the country.

Wide receiver Ryan Williams stepped on the field at 17 years old and immediately made plays. On just two receptions in his first game in Bryant-Denny, he made a quick impression by scoring two touchdowns and recording 139 receiving yards.

Williams’ freshman season would take off from there, with him recording career-high stats a few games later against No. 2 Georgia after hauling in six receptions for 177 yards and the Tide’s final touchdown to take the lead.

Although Alabama’s season didn’t end as it hoped it would, Williams still proved to be one of the best receivers in the nation after finalizing his freshman campaign with 48 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns.

As his sophomore season quickly approached, there couldn’t be more hype surrounding the young wideout. However, when Williams and the Tide arrived in Tallahassee for a first-week matchup with Florida State, it didn’t quite go as planned.

While Williams was able to find the ball five times, he only managed to record 30 receiving yards in the Tide’s 31-17 loss to the Seminoles. However, he was able to bounce back fairly well in Alabama’s win over Wisconsin the following week.

After recording six receptions for 165 yards and two touchdowns in Madison, it seemed certain that Williams was back on track and ready to improve on an already impressive freshman year. But that’s not quite how it went.

Although Williams did record a career-high seven receptions weeks later against South Carolina, he would fail to record 100 yards or more in every game that followed, only managing to secure just two more touchdowns on the season.

The most notable and obvious issue with Williams’ performances during the season was his drops. The moment that may stand out to fans the most is when Williams dropped what would have been a walk-in touchdown over Georgia.

After just a few drops over the course of the 2024 season, Williams dropped 13 passes as a sophomore, which contributed to his 13.6% drop-per-target rate. It was an unfortunate shortcoming that plagued his 2025 campaign.

By the time the season was over, Williams finished his second year with the Tide with 49 catches for 689 yards and just four touchdowns. Although he brought in one more ball than the year prior, he recorded 176 fewer yards and four fewer touchdowns.

But since the season’s end, circumstances have changed, and he may be ready for a new and improved junior year.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson’s departure for the NFL has left two talented quarterbacks to compete for the starting job and the opportunity to throw to one of the most talented wide receivers in the nation.

Aside from the opportunity to grow with a new quarterback, Williams will also be working with new Crimson Tide receiver coach Derrick Nix, who previously spent his time at Auburn developing Cam Coleman, also one of the best receivers in the country.

It will be interesting to see if Nix can develop Williams further to firmly establish him as one of, if not the best, wide receiver in the country. But chemistry between the quarterback and receiver does matter and will play a role in-game as well.

Many factors will be at play when Williams steps on the field in 2026, but will he be ready to take the next step, improve and bounce back from his sophomore slump when the season kicks off against Eastern Carolina on Sept. 5?