MOBILE, Ala. — Kalen DeBoer knows Alabama football has to be better. Standing outside of Hancock Whitney Stadium for the 2025 Senior Bowl, the Alabama football coach harkened back to his expectation for the Crimson Tide when he first took the job: to perform at a championship level.

Ryan Williams won’t be 17 anymore when the 2025 Alabama football season begins. The Crimson Tide wide receiver, the most famous minor in college football during his true freshman year, will be facing enormous expectations as a sophomore, with a new quarterback and facing defenses that have plenty of tape on him.

Alabama announced Wednesday it would hold walk-on tryouts Jan. 21 at the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility on UA's campus. The football team clarified prospective walk-ons "must be a full-time student at the University of Alabama" enrolled in at least 12 hours in the spring semester.