ryan williams heisman: Ryan Williams Heisman Prediction: Exploring Alabama Star WR’s chances at the most coveted individual prize in college football

Could Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams add another Heisman Trophy to the Crimson Tide? The sophomore wideout is one of the leading candidates to compete for the award after a promising freshman season in Tuscaloosa.

In his first season on Kalen DeBoer's program, Williams caught 48 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. His 18-yard per catch average is a reminder of the explosiveness the receiver possesses. He could break out in his second year at Bama.

Ryan Williams 2025 Heisman Odds: Where He Stands Now

Ryan Williams currently has the 12th shortest odds to win the Heisman Trophy at +3000 per DraftKings. The Alabama wide receiver is the second non-quarterback on the list, behind Ohio State wideout Jeremiah Smith, who is listed at +1200, the fourth shortest odds overall.

Texas signal caller Arch Manning is the favorite at this point, at +700, followed by LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (+900) and Penn State's Drew Allar (+1000). As it happens most years, it's a quarterback-heavy lineup among Heisman candidates.

How Ryan Williams Compares to Past Heisman-Winning WRs

There have been two Heisman-winning wide receivers in the last five years, including Alabama's DeVonta Smith in 2020, as well as Travis Hunter this past season.

In comparison to both players, Ryan Williams would need to break out in 2025 to win the Heisman. Smith caught 98 balls for 1,856 yards and 23 scores to win the award. Hunter, besides playing cornerback, had 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns for Colorado last season.

Alabama's Heisman History: Can Ryan Williams Join the List?

The Alabama Crimson Tide have four Heisman winners in their history, all coming since the turn of the century. Curiously, only one of those has been a quarterback. Running backs Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry got the hardware in 2009 and 2015, respectively.

As mentioned earlier, Smith got the award in 2020, while Bryce Young became the first Crimson Tide signal caller to earn the Heisman in 2021.

Ingram ran for 1,542 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns, while Henry set the SEC rushing mark with 1,986 yards while tying the conference record with 23 scores. As for Young, he passed for 4,322 yards and 43 scores with only five interceptions.

Ryan Williams will look to become the second receiver to win the Heisman at Alabama.

Ryan Williams' top competitors in Heisman Trophy 2025

According to the odds, Arch Manning and Garrett Nussmeier are the top competitors for the award, as they have the bigger upside. While Manning is inexperienced, he has shown glimpses of his talent, while Nussmeier has been productive for the Tigers.

Drew Allar and Cade Klubnik are names to keep in mind as two of the biggest Heisman competitors for Ryan Williams. Both are coming off strong seasons and their programs should be in the national title race.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Brad Taningco