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The 2024 college football season featured standout performances from several top quarterbacks. Players like Shedeur Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes, Cam Ward of the Miami Hurricanes, and Will Howard of the Ohio State Buckeyes excelled, particularly in the postseason. However, not all high-profile quarterbacks had strong seasons. Alabama’s Jalen Milroe had an up-and-down year, finishing with 2,844 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, while also rushing for 726 yards and 20 touchdowns.

During an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show, SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum discussed Alabama’s efforts to recover from a disappointing 9-4 season. He specifically mentioned star wide receiver Ryan Williams, who totaled 865 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

Finebaum suggested Williams could improve simply due to Milroe’s departure. “I think Williams is going to be in better shape,” Finebaum said. “It’s easy to criticize Milroe because he had some incredible moments, but his struggles were so significant that I lost confidence in him by the end.”

Williams had an impressive freshman season, recording 576 yards and six touchdowns in his first six games. His standout performance came against Georgia, where he racked up 177 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown. However, his production dipped in the final seven games, totaling just 289 yards and two touchdowns. Alabama lost three of those games, and in those losses, Williams had only 118 yards and one touchdown on 13 catches.

Despite this late-season decline, Williams has the potential to emerge as one of the nation’s top receivers. He will aim for greater consistency in 2025.