Ryan Williams, born in the Nick Saban era, pirouettes into Crimson Tide lore: Is he the next Julio Jones?

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Heisman Trophy winner and Alabama legend Mark Ingram, ecstatic and smiling ear-to-ear, had to get a photo with him. 

Even after a gut-punch loss, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart sought him out to give him a big hug and tell him how good of a player he is.

Ryan Williams is only 17 years old — he was born a month after Alabama hired Nick Saban in 2007 — and he’s the new king of Tuscaloosa after a six-catch, 177-yard, one-touchdown performance powered No. 4 Alabama’s thrilling 41-34 win over No. 2 Georgia inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Williams saved the day on a “you have to watch it multiple times just to believe it” 75-yard touchdown play that allowed the Crimson Tide to fend off Georgia’s furious comeback efforts. Once up 28-0 in the first half, Alabama watched Georgia slowly claw its way back into the game before a stunning Carson Beck-to-Dillon Bell 67-yard touchdown pass that gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the night, 34-33, with only 2:31 left in the game. 

While panic may have quickly set in with the 100,077 fans who couldn’t believe what just transpired, Williams wasn’t nervous. He knew this was his opportunity to shine, the reason he came to Alabama to play for first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer. The boy nicknamed “Hollywood” with “Kill Everybody” eye black under his eyes was ready. 

“If ain’t nobody else going to make a play, 2 gotta make a play,” Williams thought, referring of course to his uniform number. 

Williams did more than just make a play; he made the play of the young 2024 college football season. It was like watching a ballet dancer as he readjusted in the air to catch the football, did a slow motion spin move and then danced down the sideline past Georgia defenders for the touchdown. Williams credits teammates Germie Bernard and Jaylen Mbakwe for the fancy footwork — “My older guys they do it every day in practice so I’ve got to pick up something” — but even he was at a loss for words trying to explain how he pulled off the improbable touchdown to secure the win.

“I can’t really tell you how it happened,” he said. “I had the ball and the end zone looked pretty close and I had to get there.” 

Williams shouldn’t be this good, this fast. He should still be in high school, not burning one of the nation’s best defenses. He shouldn’t have five touchdowns in his first four collegiate games, scoring at least one touchdown every game he plays. Williams might only be 17-years old, but he’s already one of the top receivers in college football. 

Even worse for opposing defenses is this is just the tip of the iceberg for Williams, who skipped his senior year of high school and is only going to get better with more experience. He’s a clear exception to the trend that suggests reclassification is not in the best interest of most players. 

“Having polled a variety of contacts at the Power Four level, the general consensus is that eliminating a 12-, 13-, or even 14-game senior season can stymie player development, as those in-game reps are much more valuable than the ones a player would receive on a scout team during practice,” Andrew Ivins, the 247Sports Director of Scouting, wrote this week about Williams’ reclassification.

Williams accounted for over 4,600 all-purpose yards and 65 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Saraland High School in Alabama, and even after he reclassified he ranked as the No. 8 prospect and No. 3 receiver in the 2024 class, behind only Jeremiah Smith and Cam Coleman at the position in what can reasonably be called the best same-cycle receiver class in the modern era. 

“Even when I was younger, I always played up, so it was never a matter of, like, age,” Williams said in August. “I try not to use age as an excuse, because if I would have got manhandled out there, I still wouldn’t have wanted it to be an excuse.”

What Williams did Saturday night reinforced why DeBoer quickly prioritized landing the Saraland five-star receiver after he landed in Tuscaloosa and took over the Alabama program. Williams, the only two-time Mr. Football winner in Alabama high school football history, had once been committed to Alabama but decommitted after Saban’s surprise January retirement. Auburn went all-in, trying to get Williams to complete a star-studded receiver class that also included five-star Cam Coleman and four-star Perry Thompson. Williams’ father, Ryan Sr., even played football at Auburn. Texas heavily pursued, too. 

DeBoer won him over with his authentic approach and exciting offensive philosophies. Williams already looks like DeBoer’s version of Julio Jones, the former five-star Mobile-area receiver who helped transform Nick Saban’s Alabama program into a dynasty. When your best player is also your hardest worker like Julio was, it defines the entire culture. Julio earned the respect of his older teammates from the minute he arrived on campus because of his unrelenting work ethic, a trait the young Williams shares in spades. 

“He’s a special player and the most impressive thing is how he just handles success,” DeBoer said. “He’s going to be back at work and be the same guy on Tuesday, same guy tomorrow when we show up and do our workouts.”

Williams in August said his “Hall of Fame” comparison was DeVonta Smith, the hero of Alabama’s famous 2nd-and-26 touchdown over Georgia in the 2017 national championship, and you can’t blame him for not remembering Jones’ time at Alabama given his age. Jones committed to Saban and Alabama three days after Williams had his first birthday. Williams says his first real college football memories start in the 2012 season, centering around Johnny Manziel stunning Alabama in Tuscaloosa. 

Jalen Milroe deservedly flew up the Heisman Trophy betting odds as the new favorite to win the award following a four-touchdown, 491 total yards performance against the Bulldogs. He’s the first player in Associated Press poll history to have 300 yards passing, 100 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns against a top 5 opponent. 

A performance like that against a team like Georgia all but guarantees Milroe will be in New York for the Heisman ceremony barring a disastrous second-half of the season. For as incredible as Milroe was, though, the Alabama offense wouldn’t be nearly as dynamic or explosive without Williams. He’s already that critically important to the Tide’s offense and its big-picture 2024 season dreams. 

Everyone inside the building knew Alabama was going to try to get Williams the ball on that last drive, and yet Georgia still couldn’t stop it. One play after Georgia looked like it might complete a comeback for the ages, Williams defiantly destroyed those hopes. “I just have so much trust in him,” Milroe said. 

It’s clear DeBoer and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan feel the same. The 17-year-old destroyed a veteran Georgia secondary that featured a redshirt senior, two juniors and a redshirt sophomore. Williams looked like the best player on a field that will see multiple guys get drafted highly, and what the world saw Saturday is just a preview of what’s to come in Tuscaloosa. 

“It just feels like a dream and I just keep going,” Williams said. “I like this dream.”

MORE: College Football Overtime from 247Sports, which dives into Nick Saban’s final goodbye offering to Alabama