Ryan Williams’ recruitment is (probably) down to Alabama and Auburn. It has been a rollercoaster.
The five-star wide receiver is considered to be one of the 10 best players in the college football recruiting Class of 2024. He has plans to sign his National Letter of Intent in February.
As of Wednesday morning, Williams was committed to the Crimson Tide. His decision was announced back in Oct. 2022, but multiple schools continued to try and flip him.
Hugh Freeze and the Tigers are in hot pursuit of the in-state pass-catcher and got him on campus before Christmas. Williams actually wore an Alabama sweatshirt while on the Plains. He also took trips to Tuscaloosa, College Station, and Austin. He is expected to visit Auburn again next month.
There was hope that the staff in Tuscaloosa would get his signature during the Early Signing Period. That did not happen. It came and went without any formal declaration from Williams.
And then Nick Saban retired.
Within hours of the announcement, Williams decommitted from the Crimson Tide and reopened his recruitment. But it seems like he might be back in!
Washington coach Kalen DeBoer was announced as the successor to Saban on Friday afternoon. Williams’ activity on X, formerly known as Twitter, indicates that he loves the hire.
He “liked” five very telling posts.
That’s about as clear as it gets. Williams is thrilled that Alabama hired DeBoer over other options like Dabo Swinney, Mike Norvell, Mike Locksley or Steve Sarkisian. He loves the move.
This is a very positive sign for the Crimson Tide and their new head coach. If Williams likes the hire, other recruits are presumably feeling the same. But it doesn’t mean that it’s a done deal.
Auburn is going to keep its foot on the gas. They would love nothing more than to flip Williams from their biggest rival.
On the other side of things, if DeBoer can land Ryan Williams over the Tigers, it would be a demoralizing blow to Freeze.