Ryan Williams reacts to focus on his age last season

Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams broke out as a true freshman in 2024. For many fans, what became almost more interesting than his play was his age. At the time, Williams was only 17 years old and it became a meme to many fans online as the season went on.

Now, Williams has shared some of his thoughts on the focus that ended up being on his age last season. On the College GameDay Podcast, he explained that he has tried to embrace the moment in his life where he finds himself now.

“I didn’t get sick of it,” Ryan Williams said. “It’s kind of one of those things for me. It’s pretty much like whenever people ask me if I get sick of pictures, and it’s like one of those things. You’re not always going to have it forever. So, I just take advantage of the moment and accept it, embrace it, and I enjoyed every bit of it. Now we just got to come up with something else.”

Ryan Williams, who will now be 18 years old for his sophomore season in 2025, came to Alabama as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2024, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the fifth-ranked player overall and the third-ranked wide receiver in that recruiting cycle. That pedigree is likely why he was able to not just play at such a young age but also why he was able to thrive.

The Georgia game was, undoubtedly, Williams’ breakout. In that massive win, Williams had one of the greatest catches of the season. From their own 25-yard line, Alabama decided to take a shot play downfield. Williams was able to come back to the ball over a Georgia corner, making the catch before staying in bounds. He broke downfield and used a spin move to make a pair of Bulldogs defensive backs crash into one another as he went for a massive touchdown.

That play against Georgia is what made Ryan Williams a household name but he was good throughout the season for Alabama. He’d finish the season with 48 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. That’s 18.0 yards per reception. It also, once again, came when he was just 17 years old, the age of some high school juniors. It’s no wonder he became one of the cover athletes for the next EA College Football video game.

Ryan Williams expects big growth in sophomore season at Alabama

While Ryan Williams was excellent as a freshman, there was obviously room to get better. Now, he shared that he’s expecting major growth as a player next year.

“Just based on this offseason and being able to go through spring because last season I wasn’t able to go through the spring. I just had summer and fall camp,” Williams said. “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.”