Here's how new Alabama football assistant Derrick Nix can help the Tide's wide receivers.
didn’t have the season anyone expected in 2025. After a freshman year where he burst onto the national scene with a huge Georgia game, thereceiver went through a sophomore slump, finishing with 689 receiving yards and four touchdowns, down from 865 yards and eight scores.
In 2026, Williams will have a new receivers coach. When JaMarcus Shephard, a well-liked assistant among Crimson Tide players, got a shot at the head coach job at Oregon State, he took it, leaving Kalen DeBoer a crucial spot to fill. DeBoer looked within the state, bringing in Derrick Nix. a former Auburn running backs coach coach. Nix, a product of Etowah, previously coached wideouts at Ole Miss. Speaking to reporters Wednesday at a Senior Bowl practice in Mobile, DeBoer was asked if part of Nix’s job would be to help return Williams to his best state mentally. “That’s our job as coaches is to, in the development process – it’s skill development,” DeBoer said. “It’s just the piece with the psychological part, all that for every player. “So I would expect that from our coaches, and certainly as it pertains to Ryan, I think he’s gonna have a big year ahead. I’m excited to begin to get to work with him here in the offseason, correct the things that we feel are correctable and him continue to grow, go have a big year.” Nix will also have to work with a room that lost its two non-Williams starters from last year. Germie Bernard is off to the NFL Draft, while Isaiah Horton transferred to Texas A&M. Sometimes players opt for the transfer portal after a down year, looking for a change of scenery. Not Williams, who was emphatic about his desire to stay in Tuscaloosa. “I’m Alabama through and through,” Williams told reporters before the Rose Bowl. “I have no intentions of being anywhere else.” The offense will look significantly different next year, with Ty Simpson off to the NFL Draft. Austin Mack and Keelon Russell will compete for the starting quarterback job, while much of the offensive line also turns over. Alongside Williams, Alabama will be more reliant on Lotzier Brooks and Derek Meadows, alongside NC State transfer Noah Rogers . As the offseason work continued, DeBoer praised how Nix has taken over the group. “Just a guy who’s been around the league, a guy who has the experience,” DeBoer said. “I love the way that he just was really down to earth and relates to our guys. I think they appreciate that already from him. Very diverse from a coaching standpoint. He’s coached different skill positions, different groups. But I love how he’s been at, for the most part, places for longer periods of time. Just some stability, there is something that I think I appreciate. “And I didn’t have really a choice here at the last stop. But I’m looking forward to working through the offense with him. I’m a receiver guy and looking forward to some time with him and developing the guys that we have. I think we’ve got a great group that he’s excited about coaching up.”Matt Stahl covers University of Alabama sports for AL.com. He joined AL.com in July of 2023. He previously covered University of Missouri athletics for the Columbia Daily Tribune and started his career covering...
@River-Tuscaloosa @Exvideo @Yahoo Section:/Alabamafootball
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How will AJ McCarron’s Stallions reflect Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide?The United Football League team’s head coach spent five seasons at Alabama.
Read more »
From Sidelines to Sobriety: Scott Cochran's Journey of RedemptionFormer Alabama and Georgia strength coach Scott Cochran reflects on his battle with addiction and his path to recovery, now as the head football coach at the University of West Alabama.
Read more »
What Recruits Saying After Razorbacks' First Junior Day Under Silverfield?Several 2027 prospects come away impressed following Hogs' first recruiting event under new coach Ryan Silverfield
Read more »
Firefighters called to three fires in MontgomeryMontgomery, Alabama
Read more »
Demond Wilson, who played Lamont on TV's 'Sanford and Son,' dies at 79Montgomery, Alabama
Read more »
Alabama college basketball coach handcuffed at weekend game hires civil rights lawyerThe reason for Taylor’s arrest is currently unclear.
Read more »