Kalen DeBoer led Alabama to a first-round win over Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff during the 2025 season, before its run ended with a quarterfinal loss to Indiana at the Rose Bowl. Expectations remain high for the Crimson Tide to return to the CFP in 2026, with Ryan Williams projected to play a major role in that mission.
Kalen DeBoer Praises Ryan Williams’ Relentless Work Ethic Following the Lackluster 2025 Season
Williams didn’t deliver the magnificent season many anticipated in 2025. However, as he enters his third year, he is working relentlessly to meet the lofty expectations awaiting him in 2026.
ESPN’s Heather Dinich reported on Tuesday that DeBoer told her Williams is working “harder than ever and doing a great job doing his part and trying to bring others along.”
“He’s really hungry to go out and have a big year,” DeBoer told Dinich. “I’m glad he’s with us, I know that,”
Williams wrapped up last season with 689 receiving yards on 49 catches and four touchdowns. He struggled with drops in 2025, totaling 13, and recorded only one 100-yard outing, which came in the Alabama Crimson Tide football team’s Week 2 win over Wisconsin.
That downturn followed a phenomenal freshman season in 2024, when he earned freshman All-American honors at 17. He recorded 865 yards on 48 receptions and eight scores that season.
Although Williams’ sophomore season slipped, being ranked No. 114 nationally in the PFSN College Football WR Impact Metric in 2025 with a 77.3 grade, there were flashes of promise late in the year. He totaled 53 yards on six receptions in Alabama’s season finale.
Even former Alabama Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram II believes the way Williams closed out 2025 signals brighter days ahead for the Crimson Tide.
“I’m a big fan of Ryan Williams,” Ingram said on the “Glory Daze” podcast this week. “He kind of took a step back in his production and performance. You saw him coming around towards the end of the season. He made some tough contested catches versus Indiana. I saw him versus Oklahoma. He was running down covering a punt as a gunner.
“You never heard the kid complaining, never heard him doing nothing. He just kept working. He kept trying to do whatever he could to help the team win. I’m a big fan of him. I’m rooting for him, and I know he’s going to have a bigger year this year.”
Williams will also have a new receivers coach in 2026, as JaMarcus Shephard departed for the head-coaching job at Oregon State. DeBoer brought in Derrick Nix to help Williams take the next step.
