There’s always that one guy. The one voice in the locker room that turns heads without needing a mic. For Kalen DeBoer and the 2025 Alabama, that voice belongs to a senior WR who’s been through heartbreak, headlines, and high-stakes football. The guy with unfinished business and the receipts to prove it. “Some unfinished business, a nasty taste in my mouth,” he admitted. A championship game loss at Washington and a CFP snub in Tuscaloosa. He lived both. And now, with one final season left, he’s taking the reins.
Alabama’s WR room is stacked. But senior Germie Bernard is setting the tone and drawing up the blueprint. He’s following the footsteps of the greatest before him while setting an example for rising stars like Ryan Williams. And he’s not shy about the standard. Per an X report by Alabama insider Charlie Potter on August 1, Germie Bernard is “setting the tone as a leader in the Alabama WR room.” This is what he told the media after the second day of fall camp, “We have a standard that’s set in guys that came before us, like Julio (Jones), Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley. … I know what it’s going to take and just trying to bring the younger guys along.” And he’s very confident about what he’s seeing from the receiver room.
Germie Bernard setting the tone as a leader in the Alabama WR room
“We have a standard that’s set in guys that came before us, like Julio, Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley. … I know what it’s going to take and just trying to bring the younger guys along.”
https://t.co/SFWFuPXuBe pic.twitter.com/DUuCJkR679
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) August 1, 2025
Germie Bernard turned heads last fall with 50 receptions, 794 yards, and a quiet fire that burned brighter each week. He’s now the vocal heartbeat of the Crimson Tide wideouts. He believes that Alabama’s WR corps is full of players ready to execute because of the sheer talent that includes Williams, Isaiah Horton, Cole Adams, Jalen Hale, and more. “We can put guys anywhere and they can go make plays. I think we can really trust everybody in our room to execute,” he said. “It’s all about being selfless in our room.” And talent isn’t the only factor here. So what changed?
It’s the buy-in, Germie Bernard believes. He said the attitude this year is different. It’s tighter and hungrier. “People understand what their role is,” he said. “They’re gonna do everything they can to execute in their role that they have.” His return also reunites him with OC Ryan Grubb, the same play-caller who once slotted him next to NFL-bound talents like Rome Odunze. The OC sees evolution. “[He’s]very respectful. He’s a good gatherer of information,” he said. “Understands how to be a pro and has worked himself into a really big leadership role.” So with Germie Bernard holding the torch, who’s lighting the fire behind him?
Ryan Williams is on a path paved by legends
If Germie Bernard is the steady veteran, then Ryan Williams is the lightning strike. As a true freshman in 2024, the sophomore star racked up 865 yards and eight touchdowns on 48 catches. And he wasn’t even the WR1 yet. Named to the 2025 Paul Hornung Award watchlist, the same award won by Travis Hunter (twice) and Alabama’s own DeVonta Smith, the speedy WR is being tapped as one of the most versatile threats in college football. And he’s only getting started.
Ryan Williams isn’t just a pass-catcher. He returned kicks and punts last year, and he’s expected to see even more action in that role in 2025 alongside Jaylen Mbakwe. That’s where the Travis Hunter talk gets real. No, he won’t play both sides, but if he becomes the guy in all-purpose yards, the Hornung committee will notice. And the question now is, can he carry Alabama the way DeVonta Smith once did?
The tools are there. The confidence is in check. The opportunity is wide open and Ryan Williams wants to matter to Alabama fans, to Kalen DeBoer, and to the next wave of Tide greats. The 2025 season could be his launchpad. And with Germie Bernard leading with revenge on his mind and Williams rising, the Tide’s WR room might just be one of college football’s most dangerous units.
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