Ryan Williams was originally set to graduate from high school in 2025, but he accelerated his academic and athletic path to join the 2024 class instead. This allowed him to enroll at Alabama a year early and start his college football career sooner than expected.
Even though he is only 18 years old, Williams is now entering his sophomore season at Alabama instead of being a freshman in 2025. He is ready to conquer the season on his own. This kind of speculation happens every time because, after all, he carries everyone’s hopes. But Williams is truly a star player, and speculation doesn’t fit him. You’d better make bold claims about him, like Super Bowl champion DeVonta Smith did, calling him the next Heisman.
DeVonta Smith Names Current Alabama Star Ryan Williams as His Heisman Pick
DeVonta Smith knows what it takes to win the Heisman Trophy. The Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver made history in 2020, becoming the first wide receiver in nearly three decades to claim college football’s most prestigious award. Now, he’s weighing in on who could be next season, and his pick is Alabama’s Ryan Williams.
In a recent interview with “OverTime,” he said, ”Yeah, Ryan Williams. Great young receiver, has all the potential, but, you know, it’s only going to get harder. So, he got to keep going.”
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Smith’s words weren’t just praise—they were like passing the torch. Ryan Williams, now a sophomore at Alabama, is already making waves in college football. Many say the Crimson Tide’s wide receiver has a skill set similar to Smith’s. So, just as Smith earned his honor, Ryan is likely to get the same recognition. Whether it happens this season or next remains to be seen.
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But winning that award is a very real possibility for him. Last season, Williams caught 48 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. His breakout year earned him Freshman All-American and First-Team All-SEC honors. ESPN has already named him one of their Top 10 Early Heisman Trophy candidates.
As a true freshman, he averaged 18 yards per catch and scored 10 total touchdowns. One of those was a game-winner against Georgia, which helped build his reputation as a clutch performer.
Even though he has a long way to go to win the Heisman, Williams is showing that he’s more than just a skilled first-year player. It will be interesting to see if DeVonta Smith’s prediction turns out to be true or not.
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