Ryan Coleman-Williams' shot at football stardom is right there in front of him. The junior wide receiver marveled during his true freshman season at Alabama. While he did show flashes of that same brilliance last fall, perpetual inconsistencies got in the way. His head was not always in the game, as illustrated by one dropped pass after another. If he puts it all together, he can become a top-tier pick.
While Alabama fans have seen the best and worst out of him, so have members of the national media. It is why when CBS Sports' Brad Crawford wrote about the best skill-position players, he only had Coleman-Williams slotted in at No. 21 overall. Even more alarming, Crawford had eight wide receivers ranked ahead of him. Some do feel justifiable, while others have Alabama fans scratching their heads.
Here are the 13 wide receivers Crawford wrote about and where Coleman-Williams sits among them.
- No. 1: Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State Buckeyes)
- No. 2: Malachi Toney (Miami Hurricanes)
- No. 4: Cam Coleman (Texas Longhorns)
- No. 7: Duce Robinson (Florida State Seminoles)
- No. 9: Charlie Becker (Indiana Hoosiers)
- No. 11: KJ Duff (Rutgers Scarlet Knights)
- No. 14: Dakorien Moore (Oregon Ducks)
- No. 17: Wyatt Young (Oklahoma State Cowboys)
- No. 21: Ryan Coleman-Williams (Alabama Crimson Tide)
- No. 22: Chris Henry Jr. (Ohio State Buckeyes)
- No. 23: Mario Craver (Texas A&M Aggies)
- No. 24: Braylon Staley (Tennessee Volunteers)
- No. 26: Danny Scudero (Colorado Buffaloes)
Crawford's blurb on why he ranked Coleman-Williams accordingly highlights the concerns at hand.
"Two years ago, Alabama's Ryan Coleman-Williams was one of the nation's top true freshmen pass-catchers, but his development has been inconsistent since that breakout performance during a win over Georgia," Crawford wrote. "That said, the talent is there for a player with sprinter speed to potentially lead the SEC in receiving yards this fall. At his best, Coleman-Williams has first-round potential as a top wideout off the board."
No matter how we slice it, Coleman-Williams has even more external motivation to work with here.
Ryan Coleman-Williams has every opportunity to prove doubters wrong
For Alabama to achieve all it can this season, Coleman-Williams has to take ownership of the receiving corps. His running mate from a year ago, Germie Bernard, is off to the NFL. With Alabama ushering in yet another new starting quarterback, Coleman-Williams must be a constant positive for this offense. Talent is one thing, but leadership and development are two totally separate entities.
Alabama should once again be among the most serious contenders for the College Football Playoff out of the SEC. While they may not be favored to win it, or even get to Atlanta, expect for the Crimson Tide to play on big stages throughout the season. The more plays Coleman-Williams makes, the better this team will be. If Alabama wins 10-plus games again, everything will sort itself out for him.
College football is not about one game, but an entire season. There are plenty of opportunities for Coleman-Williams to make everyone who is doubting him now regret it later on. With the Crimson Tide having a fairly navigable schedule, he and the rest of the team's talent may prevail. If Coleman-Williams shines bright vs. the likes of Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, and Texas A&M, he will be getting his.
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Ultimately, Coleman-Williams may not be able to catch Jeremiah Smith at the very top of the college football wide receiver hierarchy. However, he can prove to everyone he is just as good as Malachi Toney, Cam Coleman, or whoever else emerges as the latest flavor of the week outside the numbers. Coleman-Williams plays the right position for the right team to skyrocket up these rankings this year.
As long as he puts in the work this offseason and remains locked in mentally, only the sky is the limit.
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