With Germie Bernard off to the NFL and Isaiah Horton off to College Station, there's a lot of production for Alabama to replace in the WR room. Those two combined for 1371 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns last season. They were first and second for the Crimson Tide in receiving touchdowns, and Bernard was the team's leading receiver.
Alabama has quite a few new faces in the WR room, and a new coach in former Auburn OC Derrick Nix, who replaced JaMarcus Shephard after the latter got the head coaching job at Oregon State.
With Bernard and Horton gone, there's a lot of pressure on rising junior Ryan Williams, who just celebrated his 19th birthday, to produce a bounce-back season in 2026 after a sophomore slump.
Williams' numbers were down across the board in his second season in Tuscaloosa. He produced only 689 yards and four touchdowns, while having one of the nation's highest drop rates among WRs. With an inexperienced group around him, Alabama cannot afford a similar season from a guy with superstar potential like Williams.
The consensus seems to be that Williams should be in line for a major bounce-back season next year. It appears that CBS Sports' Cody Nagel agrees with that opinion. In a recent article where he makes bold predictions for all the projected Top 25 teams for 2026, Nagel writes that he believes Williams will lead the SEC in touchdown receptions.
Ryan Williams predicted to lead the SEC in touchdown receptions
"After a sophomore season of ups and downs -- and far too many drops -- Ryan Williams returns to Tuscaloosa knowing Alabama will need him to carry the offense," Nagel wrote. "With a thin wide receiver room and a full offseason with new receivers coach Derrick Nix, Year 3 could finally turn his talent into consistent production. No SEC receiver has topped nine touchdowns over the past two seasons."
Calling Alabama's WR room thin might be a bridge too far, but his point is otherwise positive for Alabama fans. Williams, realizing his immense potential and becoming one of the nation's top wide receivers again in 2026, would be a massive development for the Crimson Tide's offense and a godsend for a new QB in Austin Mack or Keelon Russell.
It's certainly not all on Williams' shoulders. Lotzeir Brooks returns after a productive freshman season and a breakout game in the College Football Playoff against Oklahoma. Alabama added NC State transfer Noah Rogers, a former 5-star recruit who has quality experience.
Alabama also returns Rico Scott and Derek Meadows, both of whom will be vying for bigger roles. And incoming freshman Cederian Morgan has already turned heads after participating in Rose Bowl preparation.
It's a talented group, but it can reach an elite level if Williams has the season he's capable of producing.