The term “true freshman” just doesn’t mean the same anymore. The days of frail, cagey high schoolers stepping up to college are in the past. No more cautious, only courageous. The tide sure has turned. Speaking of the tide, one Alabama player is the epitome of this.

Ryan Williams has no peers. He is almost as unprecedented as they come. However, the operative word here is “almost”. Undermining what Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith has achieved from the onset would be a massive oversight. The two have gone from strength to strength throughout the season. It appears their reign of terror upon corners throughout CFB is getting its well-earned flowers as well.

Ryan Williams and Jeremiah Smith have, rather expectantly, been named finalists for the Shaun Alexander Award. The accolade bestowed upon the best freshman in college football has caused some debate among fans. The discourse on social media suggests Ryan Williams may just be superseded, for once. What makes this race more fascinating is that the last winner, Caleb Downs, received the award as a Tide player but now plays for the Buckeyes after a transfer. A unique wrinkle in the race.

Other names in the mix include edge rushers Colin Simmons and Dylan Stewart from Texas and South Carolina, respectively, as well as safety Koi Perich of Minnesota. One glaring omission from the shortlist is Louisville running back Isaac Brown. Alas, it is a fair assumption that the leading contenders are the two receivers, and for good reason.

In terms of raw statistics, Jeremiah Smith seems to hold the upper hand. He’s garnered 934 receiving yards and 10 house-calls on 57 receptions. This is in an offense that has other NFL caliber talent in the wide receiving corp. Yet, Jeremiah has managed to stand out. Ryan Williams, on the other hand, has 857 yards and 8 TDs. His yardage per reception, though, is higher than his adversary’s. In light of the finalists being made official, fans made their feelings known about this apparent discrepancy.

College football fans thwart Ryan William’s campaign in its infancy

Alabama’s official IG account naturally posted an image lauding Ryan Williams for his shortlisting for Shaun Alexander. Hoards of people, many of a Buckeyes’ persuasion, flooded the comments with Jeremiah Smith propaganda. “If only he wasn’t in the same class as [Jeremiah] might have had a chance great player tho”, said one fan.

Even those with a rooting interest sided with Jeremiah in the race. One person commented, “I’m a Bama fan, but Smith deserves it more[,] Ryan had a better peak at Georgia, but Smith was better all season[.] They should be the top 2 tho.” Ryan went for 177 yards and scored a touchdown in Alabama’s win over Georgia earlier in the season.

Some fans even leveraged some constructive criticism for the 17-year old “Needs to work on the drops, for that reason I’m giving it to Smith from Ohio State. They were neck to neck most of the year.”, they said. Others weren’t quite as elaborate, with one comment simply reading, “Jeremiah Smith is better.” So, is the general notion that Jeremiah Smith’s win is a foregone conclusion true? Ryan will hold out hope it’s not.