Ryan Williams Revealed for CFB 26 Cover, Says He'd Defeat Co-Star Jeremiah Smith

The idea of even one freshman wide receiver becoming a nationwide star as he dominated Saturdays enough to be on the cover of the next EA Sports College Football game seemed far-fetched heading into the 2024 season.

And it ended up being two freshmen who did so.

Alabama's Ryan Williams and Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith were sensational as freshmen and are now the two cover athletes for EA Sports' College Football 26, which is the latest edition of the beloved video game that returned last year for the first time since NCAA Football 14. College Football 26 will release on July 10, with early access beginning on July 7.

"An abundance of excitement," Williams told Bleacher Report when asked about his initial reaction to learning he will be on the cover. "It's incomparable to anything you can even imagine. It's one of those moments where any words I say won't be able to describe the feeling. Even just thinking about it gives me chills. It's one of those moments where I was just super excited to get that message. It's a blessing."

Williams also made it clear who would win in a head-to-head showdown between the cover athletes.

"I'll smack him in the game," he said of Smith while laughing. "We've gotta set that up."

Williams and Smith sharing the cover was a fitting choice, as they were arguably the best wide receivers in the sport and walking highlight factories.

Whether it was Smith coming down with an array of one-handed catches throughout the season or Williams spinning past multiple defenders before running to the end zone for the game-winning touchdown against Georgia, it seemed like there was nothing they couldn't do even as teenagers.

And they were supporting each other along the way of what turned into quite the competition.

"Their games are usually a little earlier than ours, so I always get an opportunity to watch and whenever he finishes up he watches us," Williams said. "We always keep in touch, texting each other. It's a very friendly competition. Iron sharpens iron. Just being able to have that relationship with a guy who is halfway across the country and being able to push each other is definitely exciting. Especially since I know what type of guy he is, and I know he's about that work. It makes it fun."

The one big difference, though, was Smith led the Buckeyes to the national championship with a combined five touchdowns in College Football Playoff wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame. He also hauled in the 3rd-and-11 deep ball to clinch the win over the Fighting Irish in the title game.

Williams saw that and wants a chance to face Smith in the next national championship game.

"We've talked about it for sure," he said. "That's the goal. He said they're going to get another shot, so the goal is to bump into each other there. That would be a crazy storyline for the cover of the game."

That would mean the Crimson Tide bouncing back from missing the CFP entirely, which Williams doesn't plan on allowing to happen again.

"It's definitely been a driving force," the star wide receiver said. "That's unlike Alabama. That's not the standard. It burns a fire even talking about it. I can feel the fire creeping up.

"So going into the season, there's just been a level of dedication and a level of sacrifice from not only just me, but from the top down. It's very evident. We've got some scary stuff coming, so we're super excited. It's not really a vengeance thing. It's just us proving ourselves right. Just us knowing that we're putting the work in and doing everything we need to do to be in that situation."

It is a testament to the sky-high expectations in place for the Crimson Tide that being the first team left out of the CFP is seen as a massive disappointment, but that is exactly what happened during the 2024 campaign in the first season after Nick Saban's retirement.

Losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma were too much to overcome, especially since the Commodores and Sooners finished the season with a combined 13 losses.

But, as Williams said, it is only serving as a motivating factor for a team that faces Florida State and Wisconsin in nonconference play before SEC games against Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina, among others, during the 2025 season.

The biggest question at this point for that 2025 season is who will be under center, as Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and highly regarded freshman Keelon Russell are in a three-way competition.

Russell was a 5-star prospect and the No. 2 overall player in the recruiting class of 2025, per 247Sports' composite rankings. His mobility stands out, but he can also make plays with his arm and has caught the attention of Williams and others.

"He's one of the best quarterbacks I've seen," the receiver said. "Just being able to work out with him and the rest of our quarterbacks, they can all spin it real well. It's super exciting just to see them compete. You always have receiver battles, but for us to have a three-way quarterback race has been super fun because it brings the best out of all of them.

"Every single day, you know you're going to get the best from every single one of them because no one wants to fall a step behind. So you get the best out of all three every single day. And that only makes us better because we're making plays, they're making plays. The defense has to react to all of us. It's been an exciting spring, and we're excited for the future."

Simpson was a 5-star prospect in 2022, while Mack was a 4-star prospect in 2024, so they were also highly regarded recruits. And it figures to be a long quarterback battle. As head coach Kalen DeBoer said on Greg McElroy's Always College Football podcast (h/t Matt Stahl of AL.com), he plans on making a decision by "the last week-and-a-half" before the season.

That means Alabama fans and even Williams himself will need to exercise patience before they find out who the starting quarterback will be this year.

He will also need to exercise patience when it comes to a potential long-term goal after the NFL announced players will be allowed to participate in the flag football competition during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Thoughts immediately turned to NFL pass-catchers such as Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, Amon-Ra St. Brown, CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill and Malik Nabers, but Williams, Smith and other college players could also have their eye on such spots as well.

Williams said he "one-thousand percent" would love to participate in the 2028 Games.

"Just being able to represent the United States," he said. "Basketball has had it, and it's amazing to me that we're finally able to do that. Once I get to the NFL, hopefully I have that opportunity. I'm trying to put some stuff on tape. Maybe they'll think I'm shifty enough. That's definitely something on my mind because I want to represent my country and go get that gold."

But first, he is focused on ensuring the 2025 college football season is a successful one for him.

And how will he do that?

"We have to win a national championship."

Click here to read article