"There was no relief": Analyst breaks down how Ryan Williams' succeeded despite Jalen Milroe's massive gaps 

Ryan Williams had an outstanding true freshman season at Alabama last year. The wide receiver took the college football world by storm, putting out productions that exceeded expectations from a player of his age. He was 17 during his first year in Tuscaloosa.

J.D. Pickell named Williams in his list of top 10 true sophomores ahead of the 2025 college football season on the Hard Count with J.D. Pickell The analyst highlighted how the young wide receiver thrived despite quarterback Jalen Milroe's struggles in the passing game.

“Jalen Milroe didn't throw for more than 300 yards after the Vanderbilt game, which was played October 5th," Pickell said (4:41). And Ryan Williams still had over 800 yards receiving and had a tremendous freshman campaign.

“To put a further point on this, there was no real relief for Ryan Williams to make what he did that much more impressive this season as a true freshman. You had him and Jeremy Bernard both in the neighborhood of right around 50 receptions.”

He concluded:

“After that, you got CJ Dupree, a tight end on third on the team in receptions with 21. So it was going to Ryan Williams or Jeremy Bernard if it was going anywhere downfield. Ryan Williams had eight touchdowns this year, Jalen Milroe threw 16.”

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J.D. Pickell believes Ryan Williams did quite a lot remember last season

In a season where the Crimson Tide failed to perform to their standard, Williams was a positive for them. The wide receiver showed a glimpse of what should be expected in his remaining years at the program, with an outstanding true freshman season.

One of his most notable moments in the 2024 season was the game-winning touchdown reception against Georgia in Week 5. He caught a pass from Milroe from 75 yards and made his way brilliantly to the end zone on the heel of a Georgia 23-point comeback. JD Pickell noted this moment while analyzing him.

“To put up the numbers he did in that conference – the image of him doing like the heesy spin move at the Bryant-Denny Stadium absolutely explodes as he goes into the end zone against Georgia. (That) sticks in your mind pretty vividly. Dude is a ball player. Proved it in this past year.”

Williams was named into the Freshman All-America team last season following his impressive displays all season. He also made the First-team All-SEC, a rare honor for true freshmen in the conference.