Kalen DeBoer defends Alabama WR Ryan Coleman-Williams despite dropped passes

Alabama football wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams entered Saturday with first round NFL Draft potential. But came into Bryant-Denny Stadium carrying a history of dropped passes. That flaw showed up against East Carolina right in front of head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Coleman-Williams botched this deep ball attempt early in the 48-10 rout of the Pirates.

Ryan Coleman-Williams with a drop pic.twitter.com/5CiV6v7tRE

— Underdog CFB (@UnderdogCFB) September 5, 2026

So the boos sprouted right away for the junior wideout. But he also failed to complete this end zone catch.

Another dropped pass from Ryan Coleman-Williamspic.twitter.com/cXGgEUYPGt https://t.co/4QgDiygqqs

— Underdog CFB (@UnderdogCFB) September 5, 2026

Fans ripped Coleman-Williams for displaying his biggest flaw in the season opener. But DeBoer wasn’t very critical of his star wideout. He fired off this defiant message despite the receiver’s struggles.

“We’re not going to shy away from going to Ryan,” DeBoer said postgame. “We’re going to keep feeding him.”

The past five-star recruit still delivered stout numbers: Five catches, 130 yards and one touchdown. He torched the American Athletic Conference on this catch and run too from new starting quarterback Keelon Russell.

KEELON RUSSELL TO RYAN COLEMAN-WILLIAMS pic.twitter.com/cyuzD4Pbrw

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 5, 2026

Still, Coleman-Williams shined a light on his boom-or-bust potential.

Minus the drops, the speedy receiver lost a fumble too. He also sparked criticism for rolling without gloves in this game against ECU.

DeBoer insists that Coleman-Williams remains a focal point to the Crimson Tide offense. The now third-year head coach continues to find ways to best utilize his receiver and create mismatches on the field to exploit defenses. He figures to maintain his status as a go-to wideout, especially post Germie Bernard as he’s off to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2025 season.

DeBoer is keeping his confidence in Coleman-Williams despite his weakness surfacing once again.

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