TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer clarified Sunday that the lack of targets for wide receiver Ryan Williams during Saturday’s 27-20 Iron Bowl victory over Auburn was not indicative of a diminished role, but rather incidental to the flow of the game. Williams, a sophomore who led the Crimson Tide in receiving yards (865) adn touchdown catches (eight) as a freshman in 2024, was not targeted once in the passing game.
Despite a somewhat inconsistent sophomore season marked by injury and occasional drops, DeBoer emphasized that opportunities existed for Williams to receive passes. “He was out there. There’s nothing to read into there at all. There were opportunities where the ball could’ve found him,” DeBoer said. He explained that Alabama’s offensive concepts aren’t typically designed around specific receivers, relying more on route progression and play growth. “It’s not like they’re designed specifically for him… There might be screens and things like that that are intentionally trying to get (players) touches. But as far as pass concepts, we just didn’t get to him in the route, or things like that.”
DeBoer stressed the importance of intentionally involving Williams, a playmaker for the team, but noted that other players stepped up. “We’ve got to be intentional because he’s a playmaker for us. The ball just found some other guys and they made plays, like you saw with Isaiah Horton.”
This season, Williams has 40 catches for 598 yards, but his impact has lessened in recent games.
