Getting a naturally gifted playmaker back into rhythm can sometimes be less about reinventing him and more about creating the right cons for his talents to truly excel again. It's a little like having a high-performance sports car sitting in your garage — you don't question the engine or horsepower, you just make sure you're putting it on the right roads and giving it enough gas to properly accelerate. That's the approach second-year Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is taking with star wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams heading into 2026.
Rather than overcomplicating things, Grubb is emphasizing allowing Williams' natural ability to take over while making a deliberate effort within the offense to put the ball in his hands more often and in more explosive situations this fall. Similar to how the Tide did early on in 2024 when Coleman-Williams first burst onto the scene as an electric true freshman when he reeled in 48 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns, alongside four rushes for 48 yards and two scores.
Back then, when former Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was under center, it seemed like Kalen DeBoer and ex-Tide play caller Nick Sheridan made a conscious effort to move the Mobile native around the formation and manufacture touches instead of asking him to win only in traditional outside receiver roles.
This was apparent with the success he had in year one, being listed as a First-Team All-SEC recipient after 13 games, then seeing him struggle in his sophomore campaign as he received fewer designed touches, like jet sweeps, quick screens due to the opposing defenses bracketing him. As a result, Coleman-Williams' efficiency notably went down, due to being one of the nation's leaders in drops with 13 on 69 total targets.
He ended up with a modest 43 receptions for 636 yards and four touchdowns with former Alabama QB Ty Simpson at the controls. The dip in production has led to many wondering what really happened to him in 2025 and how Grubb can get this problem fixed in 2026, as Coleman-Williams enters a pivotal junior season. Grubb took on those questions from reporters after Alabama concluded its third spring practice on Thursday.
Ryan Grubb knows he has to make a conservative effort to get Ryan Coleman-Williams more touches in 2026
"I could tell you all of the easy answers, but I think for Ryan, I think it's just letting the game come to him, Grubb said. "He's so naturally talented, he's such a hard worker, and a great kid. The ownership that he had after the season, I think, is something that really stands out to me. But honestly, it's a conservative effort on our part to make sure that we're getting him enough touches and getting him the ball down the field. We gotta find a way to get the ball in his hands, the way he's shown that he's really, really electric. And so, if there's issues with contested catches and things like that, he's gotta go up and create it, and just find ways to get the football in his hands."Â
Of course, with the youth movement Alabama is currently undergoing, particularly on offense, Grubb's approach may be easier said than done. I say this because Coleman-Williams is just one of two offensive starters returning this fall from the previous season, and all the attention could turn to him in year three. Still, if the Grubb can rediscover the formula that once made "Hollywood" such a dangerous weapon when creating space and allowing his natural explosiveness to shine bright, then the results could look much closer to the breakout campaign that first put him on the national radar.
And if Grubb succeeds in putting that high-powered engine back on the open road, the Alabama offense may once again have one of the most electric playmakers in college football operating at full speed.Â