Latest news with #CrimsonTide
Forbes
4 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Ryan Williams Dishes On Being Named NCAA Football 26 Cover Athlete And How It's A Dream Come True
Ryan Williams is the newest cover athlete of NCAA College Football 26. The Alabama Crimson Tide star wide receiver — alongside Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith — will don the cover of the popular video game series, as EA Sports announced on Monday. The 18-year-old is coming off of a sensational freshman season — he played his first year as a 17-year-old after re-classifying to start in 2024 — in which he posted 48 receptions for 865 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Williams says it's a "surreal" moment considering he grew up playing the game, including NCAA Football 14, which he played recently before the series made a return last year with NCAA College Football 25. "I was surprised, but it was one of those moments where the work has finally paid off," says Williams in a one-on-one interview. "After this past season, like in my eyes, I had a good season, and a lot of people agree with that. But you're always harder on yourself, I left some things out on the table, and as soon as the season ended, I'm like, 'What can I do to make this upcoming season (better)?' I'm not even thinking about the external things like being a first-team All-American. When I got the text about being a cover athlete, it was like, 'Was it that good?' I can only imagine with all the work that I've put in this off season, what this season can be like." Williams says he'll be meeting with the EA team soon to pitch ideas and help with the marketing and promotion of the game, which will likely be released in July. Last year's game — the first release for the game in 11 years — is the best-selling sports game in United States history and finished 2024 as the second-best selling game of the year. "1000%," says Williams when asked if this is a dream come true. "As a kid playing NCAA. I remember NCAA 14 being the last one and I was hurt. Before I came to school, I bought an Xbox 360 just so I could by NCAA 14 so I could keep playing it until '25 came out. It's crazy." Williams is obviously a standout on the football field. It's just about unheard of for a 17-year-old to emerge as the go-to receiver for one of the most prestigious college football programs in the country, but the 6-foot receiver did just that. He was named Alabama Mr. Football — given to the top high school player in the state — two consecutive years in 2022 and 2023 and was considered one of the top two wide receivers in the nation in the class of 2024. He's considered one of the top Heisman Trophy candidates entering the 2025 season and makes it clear he'd like to become the first player from the state of Alabama to win the award as a member of the Crimson Tide. "Winning the Heisman, that would be an honor and a blessing, just because I walk by our Heisman Trophy winners every single day and we've never had one from Alabama at the University of Alabama," says Williams. "That's crazy to me. I'm from Alabama, so you know that that would be awesome to be able to represent my state and my school. That would be something, the Fred Biletnikoff Award, the best receiver, All-American, anything that I can conquer along the way of winning that national championship. That's what I want to do." Williams is obviously already a star on the field and he's considered one of the two best receivers -- along with Smith — in college football. He had five touchdowns in his first four games, including the epic game-winning touchdown catch against Georgia. However, he's winning off of the field just as much as he's winning on the field. The 18-year displays maturity beyond his years and his positive personality — he's always smiling — makes him extremely marketable. Williams already has a $2.7 million NIL valuation, ranking No. 15 among all young stars. He's already had deals with Fortnite, Wingstop, Uber, NASCAR and is one of the faces of Hollister, the clothing brand. For context, Williams just turned 18 years old in February. He still has at least two more years at Alabama and if he enters the draft after three years, he'll do so at the age of 20. He also has a podcast focusing on Alabama football — with co-hosts and fellow teammates Jaylen Mbakwe & Dre Kirkpatrick Jr — called the "New Wave" podcast which has over 60K subscribers across social media platforms. The university helps him produce the program. "I remember Coach Saban, when he was here, one of the first things that I asked him after I committed — because I committed my freshman year in high school to Alabama — I was like, 'Hey, will I have an opportunity to express myself, can I do a podcast or something like that?' He was like, 'Yeah, we have the opportunity with all the support that we have here at Alabama. Williams is already one of the most successful player entrepreneurs and businessmen by the age of 18 — and he's only going to continue to grow his brand as his production and his on-field play grows during his career at Alabama. "I didn't know that it was going to grow into what it is now," says Williams of the podcast. "But just everyone that I meet, I always try to leave an imprint of who I am as an individual. Just being positive and smiling, lighting up a room, that's always what I try to do. I get to be myself and express who I am, and connect with different athletes, with different people, and just grow as an individual. Just show what's possible. I'm super thankful for everyone that's behind me, from my family to the Bama family." The Alabama native says the original goal of the podcast was to get the YouTube plaque for 100,000 likes, but now he wants a greater impact beyond just numbers. "When we first started, we wanted the YouTube plaque, 100,000 likes, that was the original (plan). Let's just shoot for that. As we've been going is, I definitely feel like we can't put a number on it just because I feel like we have a greater impact than just numbers. What it is for us now is just trying to impact as many people as possible, because I feel like that's what I'm here for." We'll see how Williams continues to develop as a player in 2025, but it's clear the sky is the limit for the Crimson Tide star wide receiver.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Elite LSU WR Commit Addresses Possible Flip to Hated SEC Rival
Elite LSU WR Commit Addresses Possible Flip to Hated SEC Rival originally appeared on Athlon Sports. LSU wide receiver commit Kenny Darby is gaining steam for a potential flip within the SEC. Head coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers logged a key recruiting win when receiving a commitment from Darby, one of the top playmakers in the country, in November. Advertisement Darby (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) plays for Airline High School in Bossier City, Louisiana. He nearly tripled his best previous output as a junior last season, posting 100 catches for 1,764 yards with 24 touchdowns. Darby ranks as the No. 18 player at the position, the No. 6 player in the state and the No. 116 recruit overall in the class of 2026, according to Rivals. After Darby committed early in the process, he shut down his recruitment in January, reaffirming his pledge to LSU as other programs made their pitches. Darby's recruitment doesn't appear to be as simple as Tigers fans would like, though, as he took an official visit to SEC rival Alabama this weekend. And the Crimson Tide must have made quite the impression. Airline High School wide receiver Kenny Karge/The Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Darby is reportedly considering a flip to head coach Kalen DeBoer's Alabama program and will make his decision on July 4, according to On3's Hayes Fawcett on Saturday. Advertisement 'I love the coaching staffs a lot," Darby said via On3. "It's going to be hard.' It's not often that a recruit acknowledges another contender has entered the picture without decommiting. Darby took to social media shortly after the news broke and attempted to ease the concerns of LSU faithful. "It's not what it looks like," Darby wrote on X before deleting the post a short time later. While Alabama gaining ground isn't ideal for Kelly and Co., LSU does have the benefit of hosting Darby for his final official visit (June 20) before his decision on July 4. The Tigers currently hold the nation's No. 2 class for 2026, including nine commitments with three of the top receivers in the country. Advertisement Related: Miami Receives Disappointing News On Elite 4-Star In-State Target Related: Nation's No. 1 QB Reacts To 5-Star Wide Receiver's Visit To Georgia This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Associated Press
11 hours ago
- General
- Associated Press
Top-seed Southern Miss avoids elimination with 6-5 victory over Alabama in Hattiesburg Regional
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Nick Monistere led off the eighth inning with his second home run and Tucker Stockman delivered a two-out, two-run single to rally Southern Mississippi to a 6-5 victory over Alabama on Saturday in an elimination game of the Hattiesburg Regional. Top-seeded host Southern Miss (45-15) will play the loser of the nightcap between No. 4 seed Columbia and the third-seeded Miami Hurricanes in a Sunday elimination game. The Golden Eagles rallied after Bryce Fowler's two-out two-run homer in the seventh gave No. 2 seed Alabama (41-18) a 5-3 lead. Fowler went 3 for 5 from the leadoff spot. Will Plattner homered off Southern Miss starter JB Middleton in the third to put Alabama up 1-0. Monistere answered in the bottom of the inning with a two-out two-run shot to give the Golden Eagles the lead. Will Hodo hit a two-run homer in the fourth to put the Crimson Tide up 3-2. Ben Higdon homered leading off the bottom of the inning to tie it for Southern Miss. Middleton allowed five runs on seven hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts. Colby Allen (7-4) allowed two hits and three walks in two scoreless innings for the win. Crimson Tide starter Tyler Fay allowed three runs on six hits in six innings. Braylon Myers was tagged for a run in the seventh. Carson Ozmer (4-2), who came in after Monistere's leadoff homer in the eighth, allowed two runs on a hit and two walks in one inning. ___ AP college sports:
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Top-seed Southern Miss avoids elimination with 6-5 victory over Alabama in Hattiesburg Regional
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Nick Monistere led off the eighth inning with his second home run and Tucker Stockman delivered a two-out, two-run single to rally Southern Mississippi to a 6-5 victory over Alabama on Saturday in an elimination game of the Hattiesburg Regional. Top-seeded host Southern Miss (45-15) will play the loser of the nightcap between No. 4 seed Columbia and the third-seeded Miami Hurricanes in a Sunday elimination game. Advertisement The Golden Eagles rallied after Bryce Fowler's two-out two-run homer in the seventh gave No. 2 seed Alabama (41-18) a 5-3 lead. Fowler went 3 for 5 from the leadoff spot. Will Plattner homered off Southern Miss starter JB Middleton in the third to put Alabama up 1-0. Monistere answered in the bottom of the inning with a two-out two-run shot to give the Golden Eagles the lead. Will Hodo hit a two-run homer in the fourth to put the Crimson Tide up 3-2. Ben Higdon homered leading off the bottom of the inning to tie it for Southern Miss. Middleton allowed five runs on seven hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts. Colby Allen (7-4) allowed two hits and three walks in two scoreless innings for the win. Advertisement Crimson Tide starter Tyler Fay allowed three runs on six hits in six innings. Braylon Myers was tagged for a run in the seventh. Carson Ozmer (4-2), who came in after Monistere's leadoff homer in the eighth, allowed two runs on a hit and two walks in one inning. ___ AP college sports:
USA Today
17 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Alabama listed among finalists for 2026 linebacker, 4-star prospect
Alabama listed among finalists for 2026 linebacker, 4-star prospect Announced on Friday afternoon, the Alabama Crimson Tide have been listed among the finalists for 2026 linebacker prospect Anthony Davis Jr.. In addition to the Crimson Tide, Davis Jr. also lists the Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, Michigan Wolverines, and Ole Miss Rebels among his finalists. According to the 247Sports Composite recruiting rankings, Davis Jr. is currently considered as the nation's No. 319 overall prospect in the 2026 class, as well as the No. 41 player in the state of Georgia out of Grayson High School. A four-star prospect, Davis Jr. is also ranked as the No. 22 overall linebacker in the class. So far this recruiting cycle, Alabama has seen success in Georgia, as three of their five current commits come from the state in Jorden Edmonds, Jamarion Matthews, and Chris Booker. Of the five commitments, none are currently linebackers. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
