It hasn't quite been the sophomore season Ryan Williams hoped for in Tuscaloosa, but the superstar wide receiver has been better than most are willing to admit.
Though he has had issues with drops - and he missed the UL Monroe game with a concussion and was effectively a decoy against Missouri due to an injury - Williams has still produced solid numbers. He has 495 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 15 yards per catch. He's second on the team in receiving, and just 31 yards shy of Germie Bernard's team-leading 526 yards.
Williams has high expectations for himself. He's been hard on himself for his issues with drops - too hard at times. You could see the deflated look on his face two weeks ago against South Carolina when he had a critical drop on 4th down, though everyone seemed to ignore how difficult a play it was to begin with.
Despite the roller coaster ride, Kalen DeBoer says that Williams is still putting in the work and continues to respond to adversity in the way you would want.
"I think any type of adversity he's ever had, his response is always to go attack," DeBoer said. "Whether it's coming off of an injury, or it's coming off of just him wanting to play better than he did the week before, it's always 100 percent.
"No one on our team is ever going to question the work that he puts in and how important it is to him. But he's continued to attack, just getting better, and I think that's shown up. We're all human, so he's not going to be perfect, but he's really continued to hone in on the things that matter. And I think you'll continue to see him trend up."
Kalen DeBoer expects Ryan Williams to 'continue to trend up' for Alabama
The rallying cry for this Alabama team coming out of the bye week has been that "November has the games you are going to remember." That starts this weekend against LSU at home, with the Tigers looking to restore the program's place near the top of the mountain with a road upset.
Oklahoma comes to town the next week, and then two weeks after that, Alabama travels to Auburn for the Iron Bowl.
The Crimson Tide sits in a good spot as the calendar flips to November. But three landmines remain that they will need to navigate in order to reach their goals. To do so, Alabama is going to need Ryan Williams down the stretch.
Germie Bernard has been Alabama's most reliable wide receiver this season. That will probably continue. But it's not controversial to say that Williams is the most talented player on the roster. He can do things that mere mortals could only dream of.
He's going to play a pivotal role down the stretch. And I'd be willing to bet he makes a play or two in one of these games that swings the result in the Tide's favor.