He may be a total long shot for it, but do not count Ryan Coleman-Williams out of the Heisman race just yet. The mercurial Alabama wide receiver may only have 200-to-1 odds on BetMGM to become the Crimson Tide's fifth Heisman Trophy winner to date. However, that did not stop USA TODAY Sports' Blake Toppmeyer from speaking glowingly about him as a real dark horse Heisman contender.
Toppmeyer highlighted Coleman-Williams as one of seven sleepers for this year's Heisman Trophy.
"Coleman-Williams endured a bit of a sophomore slump following a freshman All-American season," Toppmeyer wrote. "He has become a major dark horse for the Heisman, but this is still the guy who once had 177 receiving yards against Georgia as a 17-year-old. He has added “Coleman” to his jersey surname to honor his mom. He also changed numbers. It’s all part of an effort to leave last year behind. He’s still just 19. He needs this to be a coming-of-age season."
Coleman-Williams was not the only Alabama star Toppmeyer had on his list. He made sure to point out the "superstar potential" of quarterback Keelon Russell earlier in the article. Russell may have far better odds than Coleman-Williams to capture Alabama's fifth Heisman Trophy this season, but the gifted wide receiver can do things we have not seen on the college gridiron since ... Larry Fitzgerald.
For Coleman-Williams, it will all come down to two things for this season: Consistency and maturity.
Ryan Coleman-Williams has the perfect role model to go win the Heisman
It took until 2009 for Alabama to win its first Heisman in program history. Mark Ingram II became the first as the bell-cow back if Nick Saban's first national championship team in Tuscaloosa. A handful of seasons later, Derrick Henry carried the rock to perfection to be the last running back to claim the Heisman Trophy a decade ago in 2015. After him came a special wide receiver named DeVonta Smith.
Smith's 2020 Heisman campaign may have come during a COVID season, but he was clearly the best player on the field that season. Undersized and a bit under-appreciated, Smith helped guide Alabama to the promised land most recently. With the help of Mac Jones, Najee Harris and countless others, the boys got the job done. If Coleman-Williams wants to win the Heisman, he must learn from Smith.
Alabama's third Heisman winner became the first true wide receiver to hoist it since Tim Brown did it for Notre Dame way back in 1987. Smith took his game up a notch with one tremendous play after another. His combination of selflessness, consistency, and athletic prowess guided him to previously unforeseen heights. It will be far from easy, but that is what it is going to take for Coleman-Williams.
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Overall, Coleman-Williams does have some of that secret sauce that made Alabama legends like Smith, Julio Jones, and many others great before him. This is what frustrates Alabama fans the most. They know what he is capable of, but can he do it down to down, game after game? Yes, consistency must be the driving force for him, but any Heisman run cannot manifest without growth and maturity.
For now, seeing Coleman-Williams among the shortlist of Heisman sleepers does mean it is possible.
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