Kalen DeBoer reposts Ryan Williams commitment, becomes first Alabama head coach to post on social media

Wednesday night, Kalen DeBoer got one of his first big victories as Alabama head coach. Five Star Plus+ receiver Ryan Williams re-committed to the Crimson Tide after backing off his initial commitment following Nick Saban’s retirement.

Then, DeBoer did something even Saban didn’t do. He interacted with Williams on social media after his decision.

DeBoer reposted Williams’ announcement on X (formerly Twitter), making him the first Alabama head football coach to ever do so. He was active on social media while he was at Washington, and he updated his profile after agreeing to succeed Saban.

DeBoer’s follower count has taken big leap since Alabama announced him as its next head coach earlier this month. When he changed his profile from Washington to Alabama on Jan. 13, he had 73,900 followers on X. As of Wednesday night, he had more than 91,300 followers. That number is surely not done growing, though.

Williams de-committed from Alabama shortly after Saban announced his retirement. He was a key piece of the Crimson Tide’s 2025 recruiting class, checking in as the No. 5 overall recruit from the cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. The recognition of a Five Star Plus+ recruit means Williams is one of the only players ranked by all four major recruiting media companies as a five star.

Kalen DeBoer picks up a huge recruiting victory by keeping Ryan Williams

DeBoer and his new-look coaching staff made Williams’ recruitment a priority after they got settled in at Alabama. With some notable staffers coming from Washington, headlined by offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, DeBoer is likely to bring his high-powered scheme with him to Tuscaloosa. As a result, wide receivers could be especially important to stretch the field.

Earlier this month, Williams spoke highly of DeBoer, who told him he’d have a big role in the new-look offense.

“He knows what it takes, and he’s going to continue the culture and the Alabama standard,” Williams said. “It’s not going to drop off one bit, and he just wanted me to understand that I could have a big role in that. I have open eyes and I want to hear them out. It’s just about building a relationship as fast as possible because I have a relationships with other coaches around t he country, so if that’s somewhere I’m considering, I need to have that. I love Alabama, I was committed there for a year for a reason.”

On3’s Hunter Shelton contributed to this report.