Ryan Williams

As a true freshman in 2024 he was a national sensation: 48 catches, 865 yards, eight touchdowns, the highlight every Saturday. The 2025 sophomore line was quieter — 49 catches, 689 yards, four scores — the kind of step back that, for a player this hyped, becomes the whole storyline. The voters didn't blink: he's a preseason first-team All-American across nearly every outlet and a live Heisman candidate entering 2026. The detail that reframes everything is his age. Williams reclassified up to sign a year early, so he's a junior who won't be draft-eligible until 2027 — Alabama's clear No. 1 target with a runway almost no star his age has. The forward stakes are simple: the bounce-back season that turns a quieter sophomore year back into a generational trajectory. For Williams, 2026 is a contention year, not a farewell.