Ryan Williams’ coming out party in Alabama is just the beginning

Ryan Williams was already making a name for himself.

In three games, the 17-year-old freshman had scored four touchdowns and established himself as one of quarterback Jalen Milroe’s best options.

Then came Saturday evening. Then came his great 75-yard touchdown catch. Now the 6-foot-2 wideout has burst onto the scene with a game-changing play in the early game of the year at Bryant-Denny Stadium that is usually reserved for upperclassmen.

The play immediately went viral, a touchdown that changed the momentum and gave Alabama the lead for good in this wild showdown of superpowers. Williams’ catch-and-run saved the Crimson Tide from blowing a 28-point lead against their rivals.

Georgia had just scored with 2:31 left to take the lead, stunning the massive crowd of 100,077. Williams then supplied her with energy at lightning speed. In tight coverage, he turned to intercept a Milroe pass down the right sideline, then made an acrobatic pivot and sprinted past the defenders without slowing his stride. It showcased Williams’ wondrous athleticism.

LeBron James, Chris Paul and Donovan Mitchell have appeared on . It wasn’t just this one piece. A native of Saraland, Alabama, Williams caught six passes for 177 yards. In four college games, he rushed for 462 yards on 16 receptions. He averages an absurd 28.9 yards per catch, which makes the whole thing look easy. He appears to be the first 1,000-yard freshman receiver at Alabama since Amari Cooper in 2012.

Those are silly numbers for any receiver, especially a rookie who doesn’t turn 18 until February. That’s the scary thing about Williams. He’s just getting started. He’ll get better. He will have even more impact, be more dynamic in the open field and more precise in route running. Williams didn’t enroll until this summer, too late to be a contributing freshman, and was supposed to still be in high school. He graduated early and moved up to the Class of 2024.

“He’s one of the most mature kids I’ve ever recruited,” former Alabama coach Nick Saban said on ESPN before the game. Saban compared Williams to Cooper as a freshman – good company.

It was an unforgettable evening in Tuscaloosa, a match that exceeded the hype. In a rematch of last year’s SEC championship game, Alabama nearly landed an early knockout blow and surprisingly overwhelmed Georgia. Beck was shaky and Georgia’s normally dominant defense was unrecognizable. At one point it was 28:0 and at the start of the third quarter it was 30:7. Then the Bulldogs stormed back and briefly took the lead. Beck caught fire.

It didn’t last.

Milroe found Williams and the boy did the rest. This was his coming out party, a pretty loud introduction to the sports world.

Maybe in a few years we will remember this night for exactly this reason. He appears to be the next great Alabama receiver, following a long tradition. But based on his start and his good performance in the spotlight Saturday night, that could be his goal.

The $100,000 question

The UNLV situation, which saw quarterback Matthew Sluka leave the program after three games due to a dispute over name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation, will continue to repeat itself until real guidelines are established. Whichever side you choose, if you believe that after a hot start, Sluka wanted to take advantage of his situation, as the school claims, or that he was promised $100,000 and decided to run away when that agreement was broken became clear that something needs to change. By leaving the program after three games, Sluka retained his final year of eligibility.

To avoid such a situation, contracts are necessary. The only way to do that is to turn student-athletes into employees, something the NCAA has been fighting against for years. The current free-for-all system, where players change schools annually and now one leaves school due to a financial disagreement during the season, is not sustainable. It’s unhealthy. We’ll see more of this UNLV/Sluka mess in both college football and college basketball.

A must-see on television

Do yourself a favor and watch Boise State’s next game, next Saturday at home against Utah State. Ashton Jeanty will not disappoint. The junior running back is worth the time. He is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate and leads the nation with 845 rushing yards. He scored 13 touchdowns in four games and obliterated the defenses of Oregon and Washington State. The most impressive stat: Jeanty averages a first down (10.3 yards) on every carry.