Kalen DeBoer praises Ryan Williams' approach to balancing NIL with football, academics

Since his arrival at Alabama last year, Ryan Williams has become one of the biggest names in college football. He was on the cover of EA Sports College Football 26 while signing notable NIL deals as his On3 NIL Valuation surged to $2.1 million

All the while, Williams has also shined on the football field for Kalen DeBoer, who said the standout receiver is also on track to graduate in less than three years. The Crimson Tide head coach had some high praise for the way Williams approaches that balance.

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Williams’ portfolio of NIL deals includes partnerships with Beats by Dre, Hollister and New Era. Those deals came after he became Alabama’s leading receiver last year and as he totals the second-most receiving yards on the team this year. But through all the noise, DeBoer said Williams is staying the course.

“We’ve talked about that,” DeBoer said Wednesday on Hey Coach and The Kalen DeBoer Show. “There’s a lot of access to this guy. … NFL players and professional players, that is really their job. He’s doing that, and then he’s also going to school and going to get his degree in less than three years. That’s coming up here soon. It’s crazy how fast that goes, too.

“He’s got all those things, and then getting pulled in a lot of directions even within our program as kind of one of the spokespersons – even being here tonight. Just a lot of these things going on. But he manages it well.”

Through his sophomore season in Tuscaloosa, Williams has 36 receptions for 528 yards and four touchdowns through eight games. That came after a standout freshman year in 2024 when he led Alabama with 48 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns upon his arrival as a highly rated recruit.

Off the field, Williams’ popularity surged. His $2.1 million On3 NIL Valuation ranks No. 17 in the college football NIL rankings and No. 21 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation

Ryan Williams and Alabama are in the midst of an eight-game winning streak following a season-opening loss to Florida State this year. The Crimson Tide will look to keep it rolling this week as Oklahoma comes to Bryant-Denny Stadium for a high-stakes showdown.