Nick Saban compared Ryan Williams to one of his former star receivers at Alabama, Amari Cooper, during a positive speech about the Saraland star during the September 14 edition of ESPN College GameDay from Columbia, South Carolina.
“Ryan Williams is a mature competitor, man,” Saban said. “He’s one of the most mature kids I’ve ever recruited. As a freshman, he showed maturity.
“What that really tells you when a guy is a mature competitor is he can focus on the things that matter. For a 17-year-old guy this guy is explosive. He’s got great hands. He can run after the catch. He reminds me of Amari Cooper when he was a freshman.”
On September 2, ESPN’s Tom Luginbill shared that exact same sentiment.
“Ryan Williams is the next Amari Cooper, in my opinion,” Tom Luginbill said on The Next Round Live.
Perhaps word got around to Saban that his colleague at the World Wide Leader thought that the last 5-star receiver he ever reeled to Tuscaloosa was like one of his All-SEC first-teamers.
Ryan Williams almost flipped to Auburn but stayed with Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama Crimson Tide
Saban likely did some convincing to Williams that it was worth his while to stay at Alabama. That or he assured Williams that he’d have a good replacement before he announced his retirement in January. Either way, Williams likely wasn’t kept in the dark too much considering his importance to the Crimson Tide’s 2024 recruiting class.
Auburn was a legitimate threat to flip him, with four other top in-state receivers already committed to the Tigers, Cam Coleman, Malcolm Simmons, Perry Thompson, and Bryce Cain. Williams kept it a “Freeze Four” in Auburn instead of expanding it to a “Freeze Five,” though.
