Alabama WR Ryan Williams has endured a significant - and frustrating - sophomore slump. He has received a lot (too much) criticism from Alabama fans as a result. His slump has been exacerbated by an FBS-leading 10 dropped passes. He added to that total with a drop on a would-be third-down conversion to open the second-half against Oklahoma on Friday.
Williams entered the season as a Biletnikoff front-runner and considered one of the nation's most dynamic playmakers. Now, he might have slipped all the way to Alabama's WR4, behind Germie Bernard, Isaiah Horton, and star freshman Lotzeir Brooks.
He's still dynamic, but it's clear that Ty Simpson and the Alabama coaching staff trust the other receivers more. It's hard to blame them. A receiver's primary responsibility is to catch the football, and it feels like a 50-50 proposition right now when the ball is thrown down the field to Williams.
It's a massive Achilles heel for him, and perhaps a career-altering one. But his sophomore slump also isn't anything new for Alabama fans. They've watched plenty of star wide receivers come through Tuscaloosa and endure similar struggles in year two after breakout freshman seasons.
That list includes Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, and Calvin Ridley.
Freshman stats:
Jones: 58 catches, 924 yards, 4 TDs
Cooper: 59 catches, 1000 yards, 11 TDs
Ridley: 89 catches, 1045 yards, 7 TDs
Williams: 48 catches, 865 yards, 8 TDs
Sophomore stats:
Jones: 43 catches, 596 yards, 4 TDs
Cooper: 45 catches, 736 yards, 4 TDs
Ridley: 72 catches, 769 yards, 7 TDs
Williams: 43 catches, 636 yards, 4 TDs
Junior stats:
Jones: 78 catches, 1133 yards, 7 TDs
Cooper: 124 catches, 1727 yards, 16 TDs
Ridley: 63 catches, 967 yards, 5 TDs
Williams: TBD
There's plenty of parallels between Ryan Williams' sophomore slump and other all-time Alabama greats
Williams' struggles have been frustrating. But it's also a similar script to several elite wide receivers who have come through Tuscaloosa over the last 15 years.
Julio Jones came to Alabama as one of the most hyped prospects in Tide history. He broke onto the scene with a stellar freshman season before struggling with drops in his second year while Alabama went on to win the National Championship.
Amari Cooper broke Jones' freshman receiving record before finishing the following season with nearly 300 fewer receiving yards and seven fewer touchdowns.
Ridley broke Cooper's record and then had the same drop-off in production during year two.
All of them bounced back with bigger year threes, which seems likely with Williams, too, as long as he sticks it out. It's a different era now, and much easier to search for greener pastures.
But Williams bleeds crimson. That's a fact that fans too often forget when they lob criticism his way. He deserves some. He's well compensated to be a star WR. But some take it way too far for a kid who has been nothing but a great representative of the university since he arrived.
And he's also a year younger than all the other all-time greats. He's got plenty of growing to do. Hopefully, that growing happens in Tuscaloosa, because if and when the light clicks on for him, he's going to be a monster.