What is the biggest criterion to find a place in Kalen DeBoer’s heart? The Alabama head coach once said, “We want you to be men of integrity.” And guess who passed the test? Their 18-year-old Alabama phenom, Ryan Williams. When talking about the gridiron, he has already left his mark by racking up 913 yards and eight touchdowns. And how could we forget Williams’ heroic feat against Georgia?
His 75-yard touchdown catch, complete with an electrifying spin move and a sprint to the end zone, got 10/10 scores when it comes to agility. Off the field, too, Williams has left his mark. On May 8, he hosted two special people on the New Wave podcast. They were none other than brothers Peter and Aaron Berry, who are part of the University of Alabama’s dominant wheelchair basketball team. So one can imagine how the wide receiver is already climbing the role model status for the next gen players. Right now, the 5-star cornerback prospect of the 2026 class, Brandon Arrington, is swooning over “Hollywood.”
On June 14, Arrington posted a video with Williams on his IG story. As the cornerback is spotted saying, “Yes, Sir. Roll Tide,” the wide receiver in the background is spotted vibing to the chant. And how could we miss the cute tag, “@RYANWMS1 .” The Mount Miguel High School product has kept his suitors on their toes. The top-ranked ATH locks on July 5 as his decision day. However, he has narrowed down his list of final suitors. It includes Alabama, USC, Oregon, Texas A&M, and Penn State. And where does Arrington place Williams’ squad in his list?
He said what works for him to give Alabama a chance. Referring to Alabama’s early standouts Dijon Lee, Zabien Brown, and Domani Jackson, Arrington shared, “They recruit the West Coast and get top guys from California… and they all do well.” He then added, “Then Alabama just produces players. Coach Mo (Maurice Linguist) is a great coach.” Now that Arrington is posting stories with Williams, does it hint at something?
Well, we don’t know that yet. After all, Williams walks on a path that makes it irresistible for the rising stars who now crave to be the wide receiver’s wing man. The 18-year-old promises a holistic development in the Tuscaloosa camp. The Alabama freshman came to Tuscaloosa on May 3 to host his first of two youth football camps over the weekend at Milton Frank Stadium. Talking about the footfall camp’s success? It was huge, as hundreds of campers aged 6-16 attended the camp to train under him. Whether Williams will be a good enough factor for Arrington to make Alabama his next home, we are yet to know. All we know, it’s going to be a tough chase.
Brandon Arrington proved that he’s built for more than the gridiron
After all, Arrington brings to the plate much more than football skills. Talking of him as a football prospect, 247 Sports said, “Two-Sport standout and one of the fastest sprinters in the country. Has personal best times of 10.43-100m and 20.76-200m as a sophomore and could easily double sport in college.” Year after year, the Arcadia Invitational cements its place as the pinnacle of high school track and field competition
This time, the San Diego native, Arrington, had been an absolute monster of a day, winning both the 100 and 200-meter races. He ran like a cheetah. With this, in the 100, he set the 3rd fastest time in meet history with a 10.3,2, only winning by .01 of a second. However, Arrington’s heroic moment came in the 200. He was much more dominant as he shattered Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles’ meet record of 20.49. A difference of 13 HUNDREDTHS from THE CHAMP.
The cornerback ran a blistering 20.35, standing his ground as the nation’s fastest 200-meter runner. All these numbers might have caught Alabama with a major FOMO along with the other frontrunners in the Arrington race. That’s when Steve Wiltfong poured some fear into the Crimson Tide pot. “There have been times where Oregon has looked like number one; they may be the biggest threat right now to Texas A&M, and similar to Tyler Atkinson, it’ll be interesting to see what we’re saying about Oregon’s position for Brandon Arrington coming out of his official visit. I have a feeling they’re [Oregon] really going to move the needle.” Kalen DeBoer’s last card to play? Hoping Ryan Williams helps tilt the Arrington race in their favor.
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