On Tuesday, the Walter Camp Preseason FBS All-America Teams were revealed, and the Crimson Tide were well represented. Only five schools (Alabama, Clemson, Indiana, Penn State, Texas) had three players on the preseason All-America Teams, and Alabama matched defending national champion Ohio State and runner-up Notre Dame, with two First-Team representatives.
Sophomore wide receiver Ryan Williams and junior left tackle Kadyn Proctor were both named First-Team All-Americans, two former five-star recruits who both immediately lived up to that billing, playing major roles in their true freshman season. Redshirt senior defensive lineman Tim Keenan III was the Tide’s third Preseason All-American, claiming a spot on the second team.
Ryan Williams, Kadyn Proctor, and Tim Keenan named Preseason All-Americans
A unanimous five-star recruit, Williams had a historic season as a 17-year-old true freshman, hauling in 48 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. He was named a Freshman All-American by the FWAA, 247Sports, On3, and Pro Football Focus, and earned second-team All-SEC honors by the Associated Press.
For all his production and heroics last season, Williams was not the most productive wide receiver in the 2025 high school class. Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, who was also named a Preseason Walter Camp First-Team All-American on Tuesday, caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns as he helped the Buckeyes to a national championship last year. Smith and Williams are widely regarded as the best two wide receivers in college football as they prepare for their encore performances.
Proctor knows a little something about being a productive freshman. Also a former five-star, he started 14 games and played 811 snaps for Nick Saban as a true freshman in 2023. Then, after briefly transferring to Iowa for a spring semester, he returned to Tuscaloosa and was a mainstay for Kalen DeBoer last year. Proctor played 639 snaps, allowing just 15 quarterback pressures and three sacks in 2024.
With the rest of Alabama’s offensive line in a bit of flux after losing star left guard Tyler Booker to the NFL and right tackle Elijah Pritchett to Nebraska in the transfer portal, Proctor is expected to be the Tide’s mainstay on the left side. Williams and Proctor, if they live up to their lofty expectations for 2025, should also help to ease Alabama’s transition to Ty Simpson at quarterback.
While there is more turnover on offense, with a new quarterback and new offensive coordinator, there are more questions about the Alabama defense heading into the season. Under Kane Wommack, the Tide finished near the top of the country statistically, but troubling performances against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma left the Tide out of the College Football Playoff. Though he may not be the biggest name, Keenan could be the leader of an improved unit.
The interior defensive lineman finished fourth on the team in quarterback pressures last season and finished off 2.5 sacks, but he was particularly impactful against the run, where he had 18 stops and an average depth of tackle of just 1.4 yards.