Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams signed an NIL deal with Nike on Friday. The sneaker giant has a valuation of $47.9 billion, according to Forbes. He joins former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders to become the second NIL football athlete to sign with Nike.Williams has been a fan of Nike for a long time.“Since I can remember, Nike has always been the best fit on and off the field,” Williams said, via a press release. “Family has always been a huge part of who I am. When I had the opportunity to join the Nike family, I knew I had to just do it.”In his freshman season in 2024, Williams tallied 865 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged around 18 yards per catch and 66.5 receiving yards per game, also adding two rushing scores on four carries. He was the finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Year Award.One instance of his talent came when he scored a game-winning 75-yard touchdown against Georgia.Ryan Williams on his growth this offseasonAfter an excellent freshman season, Ryan Williams is aiming even higher in his second year. Talking to Pete Thamel on the “College GameDay Podcast” in June, Williams said that having a full offseason this time around has made a big difference in his preparation.“Just based on this offseason and being able to go through spring because last season I wasn’t able to go through the spring," Williams said. "So just being able to go through this spring and having that year of experience in big games and understanding the preparation of each week and everything that I’m doing now, it will be reflected in November and December."I feel like there’s going to be a big difference because I understand what’s coming now. It was a lot of reacting last season, so I’m super excited. I expect nothing less of myself and I’ll put my all out there every single day.”Ryan Williams' sophomore season will start on Aug. 30, when Alabama takes on Florida State on the road.