College football is all about the balancing act. You lose some while you win some. That’s what Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama Crimson Tide is going through. The HC has pinned high hopes on 17-year-old Saraland High School player, Ryan Williams. The five-star recruit comes off as one of Alabama football’s highest-touted recruits. And how could DeBoer not give him special treatment? The HC has planned everything out for Williams and the other new recruits. After all, he had to flip the script after back-to-back losses to rival Auburn Tigers.  

Williams did not arrive on campus until this summer. But it did not stop DeBoer from talking highly about the wide receiver. Heading into this fall, Williams is looking to make an immediate impact. As HC DeBoer faced the media after the preseason session, “Consistently just trending his trajectory up,” confidently stated the Alabama HC. 

DeBoer further elaborated on how he will give Williams enough time to adjust himself to the program without giving him any pressure, “I don’t mean from Day 1. I mean, you want every play to be amazing, explosive, but you just want him lining up right, doing the fundamental things, making the easy plays, and then because of his ability, the big ones will come.”

Not only for Williams but for other players too DeBoer outlines a plan. He informed, “They got some of the installs again and got some of the technical work in the summer.” DeBoer further assured that to him the period is short, “And so, you know, that growth, you always say growth from year one to year two to me, it’s from the spring to the fall.” Hence, within this time period all that Williams and the squad have to take care of is consistency. Since it’s the only gateway to building trust. Was there a need for DeBoer to chalk out such an in-depth plan? Well of course he had to! Especially after the post-Auburn beatdowns.  

DeBoer’s high hopes were dashed resulting in Auburn’s gains

The in-state prospect, Derick Smith, flipped his commitment from the Bama tribe to Auburn. The four-star ATH made his way out of DeBoer’s tribe and onboarded the rivals’ ship on July 29. While DeBoer had big dreams about Smith, who was one of the first 2025 commitments and it had been only months since he visited Tuscaloosa in February, he failed to sustain his trust. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder had pledged to the Crimson Tide on March 10. 

This has been a big loss for DeBoer as Smith held high potential. The two-way star is the No.4 prospect. From the state and as a junior, he amassed 46 passes for 1,487 yards with 14 receiving touchdowns. What made him press the flip button? It’s believed to be the influence of another four-star defensive lineman Antonio Coleman who transferred to Auburn after his ‘Big Cat Weekend’ visit. 

The Saraland 4-star defensive tackle is the No.13 senior recruit in the state of Alabama. Time to wait and watch whether Ryan Williams and his squad will be able to keep DeBoer’s ship afloat along with implementing his improved strategy.