This isn’t the news any Alabama fan wants to hear — after being ruled out for Saturday’s game against Tennessee, superstar wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams might be dealing with a much more serious injury issue than originally thought.
“ESPN’s Katie George reports that star Alabama WR Ryan Coleman-Williams underwent arthroscopic surgery on his injured knee,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel wrote on his official X account on Saturday. “He’d been dealing with a meniscus injury.”
Coleman-Williams, a projected first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, is having a resurgent season with 23 receptions for 415 yards and 4 touchdowns through 6 games.
Alabama is 5-1 and coming off a loss to No. 2 Georgia on October 10.
“Right now, we won’t expect (Coleman-Williams) to be with us, as far as being on the field,” Alabama DeBoer said on October 14, per 247Sports’ Mike Rodak. “Going through a few different things — some from games before, and one from the game on Saturday, too. Just the guy was out there for the last couple weeks giving everything he has. He was trying to get to probably the bye week. Just with some other things that he had to work through that probably would’ve limited him this week anyway, it was something we needed to do. … We’ll be without him.”
Coleman-Williams Delivered Under Pressure
No player on the Crimson Tide entered the season under more of a microscope than Coleman-Williams, which should be expected after a blockbuster freshman season in 2024, followed by a lackluster sophomore season in 2025.
With Coleman-Williams eligible for the NFL draft for the 1st time in 2027, there’s plenty more at stake for the Saraland, Alabama, native in 2026 — mainly his draft status and tens of millions of dollars if he can perform well in the spotlight.
That’s why ESPN draft experts Jordan Reid and Matt Miller had such a hard time placing Coleman-Williams in their preseason position rankings, with Miller putting him at No. 3 among wide receivers and Reid putting him at No. 5, and both labeling him the “Toughest Player to Rank” in 2026.
“After a spectacular freshman season, Coleman-Williams was highly inconsistent as a sophomore,” Reid wrote. “His route-running ability and separation shined in 2025, but he struggled making routine catches. His 13% drop rate was the fourth worst in the FBS, and his 10 overall drops were tied for third most in the FBS.”
Williams earned All-SEC and All-American honors as a freshman with 48 receptions for 865 yards and 10 total touchdowns in 14 games, but saw those numbers dip to 49 receptions for 689 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2025.
Offseason Roller Coaster for Coleman-Williams
Coleman-Williams, who won’t turn 20 until February 2027, had a rollercoaster offseason in his personal life.
First, in February, shortly after his 19th birthday, news broke that Coleman-Williams became engaged to his 25-year-old girlfriend, Alexis Ellis, on Valentine’s Day, according to a post on Ellis’ Instagram stories.
Williams made no such announcement on his official Instagram account, and the trolls came out in full force to call out their age difference.
Then, there was a name change — from Ryan Williams to Ryan Coleman-Williams. Then, a jersey number change — from the signature No. 2 he’s worn the last 2 seasons to No. 1.
Coleman-Williams broke the double dose of news in a shared post on his official Instagram account.
“Ryan Coleman-Williams,” Bama CFB wrote in the shared post. “New era, Same Ryan.
Hollywood has told me that he will be changing his last name & jersey number to ‘Coleman-Williams’ & #1 … Ryan has officially changed his last name to ‘Coleman-Williams’ to represent his mom’s side of the family & he also has changed his number from #2 to #1 … Uno Hollywood is about to go CRAZY.”
Alabama WR Ryan Coleman-Williams Gets Brutal Injury Update