'I wouldn't double him,' JaMarcus Shepherd pushing the right buttons on Ryan Williams

When you have a kid who walks into the facility on day one and asks to be put on the same training plan as Alabama legend DeVonta Smith, a kid who wore "Kill Everybody" eye black during the Georgia game and proceeded to do just that, ripping the hearts out of the Bulldogs on national televison with moves I've only seen at the Olympics, then you know you can coach him a little harder than others.

Ryan Williams wants to be great. Not just great, but an all-time great. His eyes are set on the Heisman Trophy highs of Smith and the other legends who wore the crimson and white before him. He's not intimidated by any of it. At just 17 years old, he's got the mentality of a seasoned veteran. As the kids would say, he's a dog.

Williams was probably disappointed last week to find out he's merely human. Who is to blame him, really? When you do the things he's capable of doing at such a young age, it's only natural that you might feel invincible.

Williams scored a touchdown in the first five games of his collegiate career. Last week against South Carolina, he was kept out of the endzone and finished with just four catches and 32 yards.

A lot of the talk was that Williams was being double teamed by Gamecocks defensive backs last week. WR coach JaMarcus Shepherd shut that notion down on Wednesday, and called out his freshman receiver through the media.

"I haven't seen it," said Shepherd in regards to comments of Williams being double teamed. "True freshman. He can't be that smart. He can't know everything. So, at some point, you hit a wall as a freshman and some of that production tends to go down. I wouldn't double him."

There's a reason Nick Saban wanted to hire Shepherd to coach receivers, and I'm sure if and when he hears those comments, it'll cause a wry smile. Saban was famous for sending messages through the media to his team, and that's exactly what Shepherd is doing here.

Because Williams has that killer instinct. You know it pisses him off to hear his own coach say he wouldn't double him, and that he's hitting the freshman wall afer one "down" game. It probably kept him up last night from sleep.

Williams heard all the noise. As talented as he was, there was no way a 17 year old would be high school senior was going to be able to start for Alabama. And if he was starting, then obviously the Tide's receivers weren't as good as they had been in previous seasons. There was no way he was going to produce at a high level. He's too young. He's too skinny.

All Williams has done is look like one of the best receivers - in any class - in the country so far. He's developed a special connection with Jalen Milroe, and the simple 4+2+6 math problem has given opposing defenses fits.

Shepherd refuses to let his young receiver get complacent. One game where he couldn't find the endzone was enough for the coach to twist the narrative in his favor and provide a little fuel to the ever burning fire in Williams.

The best is yet to come for the young freshman, and after those comments by his position coach, don't be surprised if we see the best version of Williams we've seen thus far in Knoxville. If any player relishes the opportunity to play in a hostile environment, it's the kid they call Hollywood.