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Ryan Williams leads SEC contenders on ESPN’s ‘way-too-early’ Heisman breakdown for 2025
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Ryan Williams is expected to contend for the 2025 Heisman Trophy, according to a way-too-early breakdown of the race by ESPN.
The World Wide Leader released a first-look at 2025 candidates on Sunday morning, just 1 day after Colorado’s Travis Hunter officially took home the 2024 trophy. Williams set a very high bar for his collegiate career by leading Alabama in receiving yards as a 17-year-old true freshman this season.
Here’s some analysis on Williams’ potential candidacy from ESPN’s Mark Schlabach:
The freshman from Saraland, Alabama, burst onto the scene by hauling in a 75-yard touchdown catch from Jalen Milroe with 2:18 left in a 41-34 victory against Georgia on Sept. 28. He had six catches for 177 yards in the game. Williams finished the season with 45 receptions for 857 yards with eight scores, but he cooled off late. He didn’t have more than 73 receiving yards in each of the past seven games. If Bama’s passing game is better in 2025, and Williams cuts down on his drops (eight), he could become one of the best receivers to play for the Tide.
Williams was far from the only SEC player to be named, however. The league earned a total of 7 spots on the 14-player list. The other SEC stars to be included were LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers, Texas quarterback Arch Manning, Georgia running back Nate Frazier, Florida quarterback DJ Lagway and Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
The SEC will hope to be a more-relevant factor in the 2025 Heisman race after failing to put a player into the top-10 of Heisman voting in 2024. Overall, the SEC has captured 4 of the last 6 Heisman Trophies.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
