Last fall, in the middle of their respective freshman seasons for Alabama football and Ohio State, Ryan Williams made a bold proclamation about himself and Jeremiah Smith.
“I definitely say we’re the top two in the country,” Williams said Oct. 15. “And, you know, no disrespect to the other guys in the country, but that’s just the way I feel.”
The connection between the two receivers lasted all through 2024, with Williams finishing as the Crimson Tide’s leader in receiving yards (865) and touchdown receptions (8), and Smith finishing as the Buckeyes’ leader in receiving yards (1,315) and touchdown receptions (15).
On Thursday, as Williams looked ahead to his sophomore season, he continued to push the comparison to Smith, talking broadly about the 2024 wide receiver class as a whole.
“It’s just competitive, you know, fun and competitive because, at the end of the day, all of us want each other to be better,” Williams said. “Of course I want to be at the top, but we have a lot of great guys.”
Sure, there was Auburn’s Cam Coleman and Texas’ Ryan Wingo. But for Williams, the top of the list is him and Smith.
And while both were in California as featured players on the cover of the upcoming EA Sports NCAA Football 26 video game, it was something, Williams said, they both talked about: What the past season was like and what 2025 had in store for each.
Well, at least Williams talked.
“A little bit,” Williams said. “He don’t like to talk. I talk a lot more than him.”
Alabama will end its 2025 spring practice schedule at noon, April 12 with its annual A Day spring game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
