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The Alabama football program has retained its status as a College Football Playoff contender in 2024. The Crimson Tide lost legendary head coach Nick Saban after the 2023-24 season, but Kalen DeBoer has the team ranked seventh in the nation through the first few weeks of 2024. A large part of the Crimson Tide's success is freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams. Williams has intriguingly been compared to Ohio State football's Jeremiah Smith.
Williams and Smith have been phenomenal contributors to their programs. Through five games, Williams has hauled in 544 yards and six TDs on 19 receptions. Meanwhile, Smith has amassed 453 yards and six TDs on 23 receptions. Both receivers possess incredible athleticism, with both being caught on record performing epic touchdown catches.
Jeremiah Smith revealed his respect for Ryan Williams after seeing the Alabama football freshman's game-sealing TD play against Georgia in Week 5. Smith recounted watching Williams' play before making a bold claim about his and Williams' statuses in the college football landscape:
“When we got on the bus, they were still playing, so when I got on the bus he made that big catch, I was like ‘woah, yeah, he's different',” Smith said, per Brian Richardson of CBS Sport. “I just feel like we're the best receivers in the country right now as freshmen.”
Smith further revealed that he and Williams exchanged text messages.
“I just told [Williams], keep doing what you're doing,” Smith said.
Like Williams, Smith has had no shortage of big moments. He caught LeBron James' attention with an unreal one-handed catch against Michigan State in late September. Then, he wowed fans again with another one-handed TD catch against Iowa in Week 6.
Smith and Williams look like they will have bright futures for the Alabama and Ohio State football programs. It will be fun to see what they do for the rest of the 2024 season and beyond.
