Nick Saban Makes Eye-Opening NFL Comparison for Alabama WR Ryan Williams

The Alabama Crimson Tide have a history of churning out elite, NFL-caliber wide receivers, and 6-foot freshman Ryan Williams just may be the next in line.

Williams isn’t short on confidence, telling Philadelphia Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith he wasn’t going to be the only Alabama WR to win the Heisman Trophy after he did so as well.

But there’s another former Alabama receiver playing in the NFL that Williams reminds former Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban of, and it’s quite a lofty comparison.

“Ryan Williams is a mature competitor,” Saban said on “College GameDay” on Saturday. “He’s one of the most mature kids that I’ve ever recruited. As a freshman, he showed maturity, and what really tells you when a guy is a mature competitor is he can focus on the things that matter.

“For a 17-year-old guy, this guy is explosive, he’s got great hands, he can run after the catch. I think this guy reminds me of Amari Cooper when he was a freshman, and I think this guy’s got a great career (ahead of him).”

Cooper took the SEC by storm during his freshman season in 2012. He caught 59 passes for 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns, leading the team in all three categories en route to receiving Freshman All-America honors and being named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

That season, Cooper ranked fourth in yards per reception (16.9) among WRs with 1,000 or more yards, and he was one of just two SEC receivers with 11 or more touchdowns.

While Cooper set a high bar for freshman wideouts, Williams could have a similar impact for Alabama. Through two games he’s logged six receptions, 207 yards and three touchdowns.

He turned quite a few heads in Alabama’s 63-0 season-opening win over Western Kentucky. He only had two receptions, but both were touchdowns and he totaled 139 yards.