By Mark Pszonak
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is used to winning, especially during the last year. He led Washington to the National Championship game, became the head coach of Alabama in January and has won all four games this season. But after yesterday’s huge home victory over Georgia, it is now clear that his biggest win was keeping true freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams with the Tide.
Williams is a special talent. Only 17 years old and already one of the top wide receivers in the country, he once again was in the spotlight last night and excelled with six receptions for 177 yards and one touchdown. This included the play of the game and possibly the season, a 75-yard touchdown in the final seconds which sealed the victory.
But all of this came close to never happening
In January, after coach Nick Saban surprisingly retired, Williams decided to reopen his process. This resulted in scheduled official visits to Texas A&M, LSU, Texas, Auburn and back to Tuscaloosa to try and connect with the new coaching staff. After Williams visited College Station and Baton Rouge, Coach DeBoer knew it was his opportunity to bring Williams back.
And that is exactly what he did. He made Williams a priority and quickly impressed the five-star recruit and his family. Coach DeBoer did enough to reel Williams back in, he did enough for him to cancel his trips to Auburn and Texas, he did enough for him to re-commit to the Tide.
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While Coach DeBoer has impressed in other ways since his arrival, his work with Williams has proven invaluable. Already with 16 receptions for 462 yards and five touchdowns, Williams has quickly become a go-to weapon in the offense and for quarterback Jalen Milroe. His 28.9 yards per reception leads the nation and has given the offense a special dimension. And he is only 17 years old and getting better.
Coach DeBoer is likely to win many games during the remainder of his career, but one of his biggest wins ever will be off-the-field when he brought Williams back to Tuscaloosa.
