JaMarcus Shephard expects to see Ryan Williams make immediate impact at Alabama

One of the first questions asked about Kalen DeBoer at Alabama was his ability to recruit. Well, less than a month into his coaching tenure, he may have answered it all. Alongside wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard, they were able to sign Five-Star Plus+ wide receiver Ryan Williams. A huge win for Alabama and now, he’s ready to contribute “pretty early on.”

“I really truly believe that for him,” Shephard said about Williams playing early via Tide100.9. “It’s his ability to be a sponge and be excited about playing the game that’s really going to allow him to be successful right away.”

Williams is a special talent coming out of Saraland (AL) High School.  He was the No. 5 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Twice did Williams win Mr. Alabama Football and had he not reclassified from the 2025 class, he likely would have three-peated.

Alabama has been lacking a truly elite wide receiver for the past two seasons as well. Williams has the opportunity to become one of the next greats. He will not participate in spring practice but once he arrives in the summer, Shephard expects the true freshman to hit the ground running.

Relationships with new coaching staff won Ryan Williams over

Williams was a long-time Alabama commit but moments after Nick Saban announced his retirement, he opened his recruitment back up. This allowed other programs — Auburn, LSU, Texas, and USC — to attempt to get back in the race for the talented receiver.

Auburn was viewed as the biggest threat but ultimately, relationships with Alabama’s new staff won Williams back over to Tuscaloosa. DeBoer made him a priority while Shephard says the two connected right away. Despite the young age, Williams is ready to get to work.

“He is somebody, immediately we gravitated toward each other,” Shephard said. “We kind of felt each other’s energy. Knew that we could work well together. He’s a sponge. He’s dialed in, focused and wants more. He wants to be coached at a high level.

“He’s not a prima donna that’s going to be frustrated because I’m having tough coaching for the guy. He can take tough coaching. It’s super rare for a kid who’s really 16, just turned 17 years old. He’s super young, and most people don’t really recognize how young the kid is.”