When Nick Saban shockingly announced his retirement from coaching Alabama last January, a pair of the Crimson Tide’s top recruits in the Class of 2024 weren’t sure what their future held in store for them.

Star freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams, unlike many other top recruits ahead of their first year, had yet to settle into the school’s campus in January. In an interview with FOX Sports’ Keyshawn Johnson on Johnson’s podcast “All Facts, No Brakes,” Williams admitted that Saban’s retirement initially threw a wrench into his future, leaving him uncertain on what he wanted to do. 

“It, like, shattered my whole recruiting process, because I’m born and raised from Alabama,” Williams said. “I’m just like, ‘Man, what am I gonna do now?’”

Williams decommitted from Alabama just hours after Saban’s retirement, opening up his recruitment again. As Williams contemplated his future at Alabama, fellow five-star recruit and Alabama native defensive back Jaylen Mbakwe had just moved onto campus for spring ball when Saban announced his retirement. His first day of team meetings was the day Saban retired. 

But as fellow Class of 2024 recruit Julian Sayin and standout safety Caleb Downs, among others, announced their intentions to hit the transfer portal after Saban’s retirement (both former five-star recruits are now at Ohio State), it didn’t take long for Mbawke to reaffirm his commitment to Alabama after the school hired Kalen DeBoer. 

“A lot that went into it, but I didn’t want to make a decision just off emotions,” Mbakwe told Keyshawn Johnson on “All Facts, No Brakes. “Once we got DeBoer, we had the first team meeting, I felt like that was a great place for me to stay in and be at. So it was just a good fit.”

That decision helped Williams reconsider committing to Alabama, sharing that he spoke with Mbakwe about DeBoer.

“I remember us talking [immediately after Saban retired],” Williams said. “I mean, we talked about it, and we were just — I ain’t gonna lie — we were just nervous. The minutes turned into hours. The hours felt like days. Everything just felt like it was taking forever. So, I remember whenever Coach DeBoer, was one of the contenders for it, man, like, looking up his record. We was like, ‘Oh, he was just at Washington. We was like, ’72-12. No, 102-12?’ We’re looking at [his head coaching] record like, ‘Let’s do it.’”

So, just two weeks after decommitting from Alabama, Williams opted to commit to Alabama again, especially once he saw the success Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan had in DeBoer’s offense at Washington in 2023. All three were drafted to the NFL in the spring, with Odunze going to the Chicago Bears at No. 9 overall.

“My high school coach knew Coach DeBoer a little bit. He was like, ‘Just give him a chance.’” Williams said. “And then I talked to Coach DeBoer, I was like, ‘Oh, we good.’ The offense fit perfectly for a receiver. So I was just like, it ain’t no reason for me to leave.”

DeBoer’s ability to keep Williams and Mbakwe committed to Alabama has helped the Crimson Tide immensely in the first season of the post-Saban era. The 17-year-old Williams has put up one of the more memorable freshman seasons in recent memory, recording 37 receptions for 731 yards and two touchdowns. Mbakwe has 14 total tackles and an interception. 

And while the two freshmen are trying to help the program into a new era from under the shadow of Saban, they certainly aren’t feeling the weight of the expectations he brought to the program over his historic stretch. 

“There’s still no pressure,” Williams said. “It’s a privilege. No pressure.”

“No pressure, man,” Mbakwe added. “You know, we’ve been doing this since we was ‘yea’ high. I don’t think there’s no pressure. I just feel like you just got to be yourself, man. You know, you go in with a mentality that you had since you’ve been playing ball. So, I feel like if you go in with that same mentality, you’ll fear us in any type of way.”

Of course, Williams and Mbakwe are just two of the pieces for an Alabama team that’s 7-2 and looks destined to make the College Football Playoff. The two freshmen credited older teammates for helping them acclimate quickly. Williams pointed to quarterback Jalen Milroe as one of them, saying he “took me under his wing and we dove into the playbook.” Milroe, who has suddenly become a Heisman candidate again after his four-touchdown performance against LSU, has also helped set the standard for players at Alabama, according to Williams. 

“He’d be at the facility at 4:30 in the morning,” Williams said. “Like I’m telling you, every time I get to the facility, I think I beat him. It’s like he just stayed the night there.”

Mbakwe also made sure to credit the head coach for quickly establishing a positive culture in Tuscaloosa, too. 

“He’s just a cool guy, down to earth,” Mbakwe said of DeBoer. “He loves all his players equally, like you can go to his office and talk to him anytime and that’s what I most love about him.”

While their teammate is a Heisman candidate, Milroe is still a long-shot for the award with Colorado’s Travis Hunter among others ahead of him in the race. The two-way superstar became the betting favorite to win the Heisman after Week 11 as he’s excelled at wide receiver and cornerback this season. 

Mbakwe remarked that it’s “impressive to see” what Hunter’s done this season, but the Alabama freshman feels he’s a better cornerback than the two-way dynamo.

“I’m just that type of person, like I feel like I’m better than anybody,” Mbakwe said. 

On top of potentially winning the Heisman, Hunter might win both the Biletnikoff (college football’s best wide receiver) and Thorpe (best defensive back) Awards this season. Hunter has 69 receptions for 856 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

Williams said he checks out Hunter’s games when he gets the chance. However, as impressive as he might find Hunter, Williams doesn’t want him winning the Biletnikoff on his watch.

“I can’t let him do that. I can’t let him do that,” Williams said. “I feel like I’m the best receiver in the country, especially whenever my team put me in an opportunity, they do a great job of giving me an opportunity to showcase that. But in the open field, I don’t feel like nobody can tackle me.”

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