Ryan Williams Not Letting Criticism Affect Him

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Sophomore wide receiver Ryan Williams has faced criticism over the last few weeks, with his struggling performance against Florida State resulting in him leaving the game with a concussion. On Saturday against Georgia, Williams dropped what would have been a 62-yard touchdown against the Bulldogs.

Despite the drop, the Sraland, Alabama native still finished Saturday's contest with five catches and 43 yards receiving. He's currently the Crimson Tide's second-leading receiver with 15 catches, 238 yards, and two touchdowns on the year.

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Williams has faced criticism for his play on the field with dropped passes. On Monday, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said the sophomore isn't letting the critics get to him.

"He knows he's just got to keep progressing, keep developing, keep working," DeBoer said. "And so what I know I see on the football field and practice every single day is a guy that is working hard at it. We know how skilled he is, how big of a threat he is, any time when he's on the field. I thought he responded well. Had some nice catches and third down conversions, had a ball late in the half there that was an explosive that helped us cross midfield, put points on the board.

"So I thought his response was really good. He stayed focused, and I think really what he's locked in on is the team. He's not going to be perfect, just like any other guy. We expect a lot out of him, and we've built that up for him, and he certainly wants that. But you just got to keep taking steps, keep getting better, and he will. Keep working through it, but his desire to go out there and be a team player, block, I mean, the want-to factor's there. You've just got to keep working on the fundamental things."

Alabama will face Vanderbilt on Saturday, October 4, at 2:30 p.m. CT.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.