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Alabama announces WR Ryan Williams signed NIL deal with Nike

Stephen Samraby:Steve Samra•07/18/25•

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Ryan Williams
Will McLelland-Imagn Images

The University of Alabama has announced a major NIL partnership for star wide receiver Ryan Williams. He’s inked a deal with Nike.

On Friday, the school highlighted the deal with an announcement on Twitter (now known as X). Nike followed suit with a press release. Check it all out below.

The move is a huge one for Williams, and it’s personal. Nike has been the standard for the wide receiver throughout his time on the football field, and joining an iconic brand is exactly what he wanted for his next career move.

“Since I can remember, Nike has always been the best fit on and off the field,” Williams said, via the press release. “Family has always been a huge part of who I am. When I had the opportunity to join the Nike family, I knew I had to just do it.”

It’s easy to see why Williams was sought after by Nike. He burst onto the college football scene in 2024 with a monster freshman season in Tuscaloosa, in which he hauled in 48 receptions, 865 yards and eight receiving touchdowns.

Additionally, Williams made one of the most iconic plays in recent college football history in just his fourth career game. He hauled in a game-winning 75-yard touchdown from quarterback Jalen Milroe to down rival Georgia in Tuscaloosa, capping it off with a wild spin move.

Aspiring football players and even some peers and NFL players might try to copy his moves in the future. Nike made a huge signing with Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams, as his future is brighter than ever moving forward.

More on Alabama star wide receiver Ryan Williams

What does Ryan Williams have in store for an encore after his amazing freshman season? The Alabama star wide receiver is expecting some big growth in his game.

“Just based on this offseason and being able to go through spring because last season I wasn’t able to go through the spring,” Williams told Pete Thamel on the College Gameday Podcast earlier this offseason. “I just had summer and fall camp, which I’m super blessed I was even able to do that with me reclassifying.

“So just being able to go through this spring and having that year of experience in big games and understanding the preparation of each week and everything that I’m doing now, it will be reflected in November and December.”

“I feel like there’s going to be a big difference because I understand what’s coming now. It was a lot of reacting last season, so I’m super excited. I expect nothing less of myself and I’ll put my all out there every single day.”

The college football world might not be able to handle a more prepared Ryan Williams. His journey as a sophomore continues, and it’ll begin on the road against Florida State on August 30.

— On3’s Daniel Hager contributed to this article.