Receiver Ryan Williams intends to return to Alabama next year - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams intends to return to the team in 2026 despite a bumpy sophomore season.

Williams told AL.com on Tuesday that he's «Alabama through and through,» adding that he has «no intentions of being anywhere else.» After earning first-team All-SEC honors and freshman All-America honors in 2024, when he surged onto the scene as a 17-year-old for Alabama, Williams has had fewer catches, yards and half as many touchdowns (4) this season.

The sophomore also has been prone to dropped passes. Williams is second nationally in highest percentage of drops (14.3) with 10 on the season. He had only one 100-yard receiving performance, in Week 3 against Wisconsin, and hasn't eclipsed 45 receiving yards in a game since Oct. 25 at South Carolina. In 2024, Williams had touchdown catches in each of his first five games, including a 75-yarder to beat No. 2 Georgia in the closing minutes.

«I had a lot of ups, people considered last year, and just learning how to deal with those, and I've had a lot of downs, people considered this year, and I've learned how to deal with those,» Williams told ESPN at media day for the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential. «Really just an opportunity to stay human and have empathy for others, because I've been through some things. It's been a blessing to go through all the ups, all the downs, all the arounds.»

Williams, who only turns 19 in February, admitted he had «some opportunities that I left on the table» this season. He has tried to work on ways he can impact the game without always having the ball in his hands. Germie Bernard leads Alabama with 60 receptions, and the team has leaned on Isaiah Horton and Lotzeir Brooks as