On the night that Alabama named its field after iconic head coach Nick Saban, the beginnings of a future Crimson Tide legend continued to unfold.
Ryan Williams is just 17 years old, the youngest player in the FBS, but he is playing like a seasoned veteran in 2024.
In Week 1, he showed off his pure playmaking ability, turning two catches into 139 yards and two touchdowns, announcing his presence in the sport in a big way. His performance on Saturday was even more impressive.
Sure, four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown don't jump off the page the way Williams' Week 1 stat line did, but against USF, Williams made clutch plays in key moments. He wasn't just running up the score against an outmanned opponent, he was pulling his team to a victory.
With 5:50 left in the game and the Tide leading by five, Williams caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Milroe to make it a two-score margin and drastically change the landscape of the game.
He’s 17 years old… RYAN WILLIAMS pic.twitter.com/2JChTtqzF7
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) September 8, 2024
Jam Miller and Justice Haynes' late touchdowns made this 42-16 final score look deceivingly lopsided, but when the game was hanging by a thread and USF had the momentum, it was Ryan Williams who made the play that truly won this game for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama has a long line of elite receivers, from Amari to Cooper to DeVonta Smith to Julio Jones, and Ryan Williams absolutely has the makings of a receiver that gets his name mentioned with those guys.
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