Kalen DeBoer raves about trajectory of Ryan Williams

Alabama has one of the most exciting young receivers in the nation in true freshman Ryan “Hollywood” Williams. And head coach Kalen DeBoer has been pleased with the progression of the young wideout.

While he wouldn’t pin any specific expectations on the former Top 10 national recruit, DeBoer seems keen to let the young wideout get some reps early on in his career. And to do that, DeBoer is harping on the fundamentals with Williams.

Because when those take hold, DeBoer told media recently, the talent that oozes out of Williams can really get put on display.

“Consistently, just in this trajectory on up,” DeBoer said, flattening his hand and moving it up past his face on an angle. “I don’t need him Day 1 — I mean you want every play to be amazing, explosive, but we just want him lining up right, doing the fundamental things, making the easy plays and because of his ability, the big ones will come. So, when you’re routes on air, run a good route, catch the ball, accelerate out with good ball security. And you find those consistent fundamentals and you stack days and those plays that we know he’ll be capable of making will happen.”

DeBoer was high on Williams coming out of spring practice

Within moments of being hired at Alabama, DeBoer had some ground to make up in the recruiting world. Williams had decommitted and was in talks with the likes of Auburn and Texas around a month ahead of National Signing Day. Not a recruit you want to see walk away, especially to an SEC rival.

DeBoer wound up getting the job done thanks to getting Williams back on campus for a weekend. A lot had changed inside the building over the course of a week, with DeBoer throwing a lot at at a young recruit. How Williams responded and absorbed information was something that stood out to DeBoer, believing it will translate when he officially enrolles.

“There was so much thrown at him,” DeBoer said via AL.com. “New head coach, new coordinator, new position coach. And when I hear him talk about what it is within our program that he really enjoyed and is excited about, he retained so much of that information.

“Which leads you to believe this was an important decision for him that he was been really thorough, really thoughtful, and I just can’t wait to get him in there with our guys. Because that attention to detail is something that you can’t take for granted.”

Williams did not go through spring practice at Alabama and will be playing from behind. The talent is certainly there, though. DeBoer is not going to be afraid to play Williams if he can prove to be one of the best receivers on the roster. Age or classification is not going to factor into the equation.

“We’re going to play the best guys, it doesn’t matter what age they are,” DeBoer said. “Ryan certainly has a very special skill set. Explosiveness along with consistent production.”

Williams played high school football at Saraland (AL) High School, where he was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect. He was the No. 5 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.