Kalen DeBoer backs up Ryan Coleman-Williams after drop issues vs. ECU
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Kalen DeBoer wasn’t about to bury his star wide receiver after Saturday’s game just because of a few dropped passes.
Yes, the drops that plagued Ryan Coleman-Williams last season as a sophomore came creeping back in Saturday’s season opener against East Carolina, despite Coleman-Williams’ new name and number. He dropped a few balls from Keelon Russell to start his junior year, and the concerns from outside came rushing back for the Alabama standout.
But inside? DeBoer wasn’t having it in the postgame session with reporters after the Crimson Tide’s 48-10 victory. Instead, he backed his receiver up, applauding the plays he did make and pointing to Coleman-Williams’ tireless effort.
“He went out there and made some contested catches, too,” Kalen DeBoer said. “We’re going to keep feeding him. He’s a relentless worker, and he’s going to keep getting the ball. He caught some balls in traffic. … He’s a captain for us. We’re not going to shy away from going to Ryan, I know that.”
According to PFF, Coleman-Williams had 10 dropped passes last season, which were the 3rd-most in all of FBS. He doesn’t want to be high on that list again this fall, and Coleman-Williams did finish with 5 catches for 130 yards, so it’s not like he didn’t make any plays out there. DeBoer touched on those plays in the postgame, and time will tell if the drops come back again next week as Bama visits Kentucky in the SEC opener.
Coleman-Williams’ drop issues or lack thereof for the rest of the season will likely have a lot to do with how many games Alabama ultimately wins in 2026. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the Crimson Tide’s potential win total for this season:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
