Ryan Williams has been an instant impact freshman for Alabama, delivering for the Crimson Tide even after reclassifying from the class of 2025. However, his recruitment left many on the edge of their seats after the retirement of Nick Saban.

A 5-star receiver and one of the top players in the country coming out of high school, Williams had been committed to Alabama for a while before taking visits to Auburn late in 2023. That includes one visit for the Iron Bowl, though Williams now claims he was “flirting” with the Tigers while always wanting to go to Alabama.

“So you know all the stuff that was going on around me reclassifying,” Williams said via his “New Wave” podcast. “All of the Alabama-Auburn stuff because my dad went to Auburn. I wanted to go to Alabama. All that stuff was going on. The Iron Bowl last year. I was just flirting with Auburn. Just entertaining it. I had a lot of family friends. I had some good relationships there.”

However, attending the Iron Bowl with a number of Auburn recruits led to some chatter among the prospects. Williams said some of the recruits told him they were going to rush the field after an Auburn win and have Williams commit to the Tigers at midfield.

Fortunately, Jalen Milroe and Isaiah Bond pulled off the miracle on 4th-and-31 to beat Auburn and send Alabama to the SEC Championship and eventually the College Football Playoff.

As for Williams’ recruitment, he reclassified in December and eventually decommitted from Alabama in January after Saban’s retirement. Williams took some official visits before National Signing Day — including one to Auburn — but he did sign with the Tide and enrolled over the summer.

Williams has already turned into a dynamic threat for Alabama, delivering a team-high 10 catches, 285 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns in his first 3 career games.