Give me one freshman, besides Huskers QB Dylan Raiola, who is making big moves in CFB. The Crimson Tide have had a fantastic start to their 2024 season. With Kalen DeBoer revamping the entire time and switching focus towards a more offense-led play style, the Tide has managed to crush all 3 of its competitors during the first 2 weeks. And amidst that carnage, a name has emerged that y’all should definitely keep an eye on.

Meet WR Ryan Williams. This 17-year-old kid managed to shine as he helped the Tide roll past Wisconsin. So, it ain’t no wonder why giving him a fresh podcast allowed Alabama to experience a surge in viewership. ‘Newwave Show’ took to their Instagram account on September 20th to talk about all the progress this new podcast has made with Ryan Williams and Jaylen “Bak” Mbakwe as the hosts. “In just 2 weeks, the show amassed over 5 million viewers,” Newwave noted on its post. That ain’t all. The show has also managed to chart at the No.2 spot on the list of CFB player-led podcasts.

You gotta thank Williams for it all. This guy has been an absolute monster on the turf. If we go back to the season opener against the Hilltoppers, Williams managed to pull in 2 touchdowns and 139 yards. That ain’t the biggest part, though. This guy managed to accurately follow AND catch AND land a touchdown from an 84-yard pass from QB Jalen Milroe. The momentum never stopped.

Even against SF, a game where the Tide were pushed to the edge and things only started turning around from the 4th quarter. This 17 y/o WR locked in with a touchdown from a 43-yard pass from Milroe. And to think that despite all of this, Paul Finebaum still did not place Alabama on the list of top dogs in the current season is wild. It’s kind of funny to think that before the 2024 season started, everyone had major doubts regarding DeBoer.

This is quite understandable because he is taking over a team that was led by a legend like Nick Saban. However, people forgot that DeBoer has experience of over 100+ games under his belt, has led a team to 3 national championship wins, and has also cultivated a Heisman runner-up. This guy has the skills needed to lead Alabama. Yes, he might not be on the same level as Nick Saban, but he hasn’t disappointed any Tide fans yet. What’s left to see is how this new fully energized team stacks up against the Dawgs.

Kalen DeBoer vs Kirby Smart

Kirby Smart probably has the most burden on him when compared to all the other HCs in CFB. The main reason being- greatness. After Nick Saban’s retirement, Smart was the only candidate considered capable enough to be as great as Saban. Now, with all the eyes on him, Week 5 is gonna be one heck of a game. However, there are some concerns. The Kentucky game exposed many flaws in the team, the main being the offense. While all of us had once regarded the Bulldogs as having one of the strongest offenses with QB Carson Beck leading the charge, the Wildcats game showed us that we might have given the Dawgs too much credit.

Smart and the Bulldogs stand at a 1.4% chance of winning the rest of the games on their schedule as per the latest reports. While it is true that SF also gave the Tide a similar scare as the Wildcats vs Bulldogs game, Alabama’s bounce-back was way better than what the Bulldogs pulled off. Smart has said that he ain’t prepping for the Tide game just yet. However, we all know that is a lie. So it is time to play the waiting game and see who emerges victorious in week 5.

But before that, why don’t y’all tune in for the latest episode of EssentiallySports Think Tank? This time we interviewed Doug Sanders. So, if you ever found yourself wondering about branding and NFL and NIL deals, then this is the best episode for you.