How 5-star Alabama football signee Ryan Williams is dealing with fame
From a young age, five-star Alabama signee Ryan Williams has always been in the limelight.
When he was around six or seven years old, Williams earned the nickname "Hollywood," from his standout performances on the field. From there, the nickname has stuck, with Williams' even debuting football cleats with "Hollywood" written across them.
"Basically, when he was little, you know, he used to put on a show, he had like fantasy draft numbers, like five or six touchdowns a game," Williams' father, Ryan Williams Sr., said. "So, it started off in the house, we called him Hollywood. Eventually, the neighborhood, eventually the city (caught on) and it stuck every time he got on the field."
Now, though, the two-time Alabama Mr. Football is seeing his fame grow to new heights, as he is one of the most highly touted prospects in the class of 2024. He made his commitment to Alabama football official Wednesday morning, signing his national letter of intent at Saraland High School.
Signing his national letter of intent shuts down a long recruiting process for Williams, one that involved various official visits, reclassifying, decommitting and recommitting. It also shuts down a process where Williams gained newfound fame, one where he is recognized nearly everywhere he goes. Most recently, while attending the Auburn vs. Alabama basketball game at Coleman Coliseum on Jan. 24, a "Ryan Williams" chant broke out in the Alabama student section.
The newfound fame he has developed, Williams said, has been an honor, and is something he does not take lightly.
"It's definitely been an honor," Williams said. "There's definitely a lot of people that look up to me, so I just want to make sure they have something good to look up to. I plan on using my platform in the most positive way I can."
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For his father, a former Division I athlete himself, watching his son go through the recruiting process and seeing him develop his fame has been a learning experience.
Williams Sr. signed to play football at Auburn in 2007, transferring after two years to Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi for one season then eventually becoming a starter at Louisiana Tech in 2010.
"I went through the recruiting process myself. It's now 16 or 17 years later, and the game has changed in a lot of ways," Williams Sr. said. "Being able to walk him through the basics and walk with him and learn with him, it's been great.
"It's crazy to witness (his fame). For me, I'm proud. He built that side of it up on his own, as far as his fame. But for me as dad sitting back, you know that's my child, it makes me proud."
Williams is set to enroll at Alabama in May, three months before the Crimson Tide's first game of 2024 vs. Western Kentucky, and the Crimson Tide's first game under head coach Kalen DeBoer.
Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama softball and football recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com. Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Ryan Williams: How 5-star Alabama football signee is dealing with fame
