The falloff of Alabama sophomore receiver Ryan Williams has been one of the stranger stories of the college football season.
A player who got to Tuscaloosa at 18 years old and appeared ready to join the vaunted lineage of great Crimson Tide receivers has suddenly disappeared, with one total catch across the final two games of the regular season.
And after a clunker in the Iron Bowl last Saturday, one longtime analyst who knows a thing or two about catching footballs is sounding the alarm.
On his Nightcap podcast over the weekend, Sharpe expanded on why he believes Williams’ confidence is shot and the young star needs a full reset.
“My thing is, if he’s healthy enough for you to put him out there in certain situations, he’s healthy enough to play,” Sharpe said.
“He’s not the same and I told people that. He started dropping passes, kind of tapering last year, and we saw that. And this year, he picked right up. He’s dropping (passes), he lost his confidence. I’m not saying that he’s not hurt or he’s not possibly dealing with something off the field, but I do believe it’s impacting his confidence. He doesn’t even run the same. They don’t even look his way. He didn’t even get a target tonight.”
Sharpe has detailed his concerns about Williams all season. As a freshman, the Mobile native tallied more than 900 yards and 10 touchdowns. The follow-up has been troubling, with Williams failing to eclipse 600 yards and scoring just four times all year.
On Nightcap, the Hall of Fame tight end has questioned whether the comfort of NIL affected Williams or if he is dealing with an unreported injury.
This past weekend as the issue came to a head in the Iron Bowl, Sharpe openly wondered whether Williams might need a physical or mental reset to get right. Because Williams hasn’t addressed his poor performance, the situation is open to interpretation. But Sharpe has been on top of the story all season, and as a great himself, brings a level of insight that shouldn’t be overlooked.
If Sharpe believes the issue is dire, Alabama fans have reason to be worried.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.