#ryan williams

[dance-world]

Hart Isaacoff and Ryan Williams

[woodstown]

i wonder what their favourite lana song is...

[jocia92]

Dan Stevens photographed for Women's Wear Daily by Ryan Williams

[fancypantsrecords]

Ryan Williams & Feel For Music - Dead Island 2 Original Soundtrack | Limited Run Games | 2024 | Red Translucent with Black Blobs

[spaceshipsandpurpledrank]

[melodious-oblivion]

Ryan Williams needs to be on the May/June camp roster (and should’ve been in contention for a good long time)

[sanchezsidelinereport]

Double Trouble! WR Duo Graces EA Sports College Football 26 Cover!

Banter Nation, get ready to fire up those consoles! For the first time in the history of the beloved EA Sports College Football franchise, we're getting two wide receivers on the standard edition cover! That's right, after absolutely tearing it up in their freshman seasons, Alabama's Ryan Williams and Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith are the chosen ones for College Football 26, set to drop on July 10!

EA is promising even more details, but the hype is already real. These two studs were the undisputed freshman stars of the 2024 season. Williams hauled in 48 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns, tying for second-most among all freshman wideouts in Division I. Smith, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class, was an absolute force for Ohio State's national title run, leading all freshmen receivers nationwide with an incredible 16 receiving touchdowns and racking up 1,315 yards on 76 catches.

From Little Ryan's Dreams to the Big Stage

For Ryan Williams, this is a dream come true. "I know y’all think I’m young, but growing up, the oldest one I remember is the one with Mark Ingram," Williams told On3. "From there to 2014, just playing those games — if I could ever be on the cover, it would mean the world to me. Just thinking back to little Ryan... If he got to see what was going on right now, I could only imagine how excited he would be. It’s a blessing. It’s super exciting."

He reminisced about those classic game modes: "Just remembering all those memories, playing mascot mode, playing road of glory, all those memories, they all come creeping in. It almost makes you emotional, just because of how exciting it is.” Get ready to feel those nostalgic vibes, because the game that brought so many memories back last year is clearly building on that success!

Deluxe Edition: Coaches, Legends, and More!

But wait, there's more! EA is also dropping a deluxe edition cover that's a who's who of college football. It features a stacked lineup of current head coaches like Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, Oregon’s Dan Lanning, and Penn State’s James Franklin. And for you old-school fans, past EA Sports cover stars Reggie Bush, Tim Tebow, and Denard Robinson are also making an appearance!

EA has confirmed that coaches are indeed in College Football 26. As EA vice president of marketing Evan Dexter stated, "Last year, when we brought back the pride, pageantry, atmospheres and traditions of college football, the response from fans was overwhelming. With College Football 26, we’re celebrating our sophomore season with two generational sophomore wide receivers on the cover, and we can’t wait for the world to experience even more heart and authenticity across athletes, stadiums, coaches and fans.”

The Game That Keeps on Winning

Remember the drought? The original EA college football franchise ran from 1998 to 2013 before being discontinued. Its triumphant return last July as College Football 25 was a massive success, becoming the largest new console game launch in North America in 2024. With 6.5 million unique players and an estimated $400 million in sales, it's clear the game is back and bigger than ever.

Jeremiah Smith expressed his pride: “Being on the cover of EA Sports College Football 26 is a tremendous privilege, and I’m proud to represent Ohio State alongside Coach Day while carrying the Buckeye legacy forward, celebrating the passion of our fans and and the tradition of this incredible program.”

Urban Meyer's "Ones That Got Away"

Speaking of college football legends, Urban Meyer recently reminisced about some of the recruiting battles he lost during his coaching days at Ohio State and Florida. Even a coach with Meyer's success had a few that stung.

At Ohio State, the one that got away was none other than Jabrill Peppers, who ended up playing for arch-rival Michigan. "You talk about the Wolverines," Meyer began. "Jabrill Peppers, I wanted him bad. I think he was a great player.” Peppers indeed tormented the Buckeyes in all three phases, even if Michigan never beat Ohio State during his tenure.

Back in his Florida days, two names haunt Meyer: Patrick Peterson and CJ Spiller. Meyer wanted Peterson "bad" for the Gators, calling him a future Hall of Famer. Peterson ultimately chose LSU and became a No. 5 overall NFL Draft pick.

As for Spiller, Meyer said, "Twenty-five miles from the Swamp… If the Gators would have gotten that cat back in the ’07, ’08 era, it wouldn’t have been fair how much talent we had on that team.” Spiller, who played four seasons at Clemson, averaged 5.3 yards per carry and scored seven touchdowns in 2008 when the Gators won the national championship. It seems even the greatest coaches have their "what ifs."

What do you think of the new cover athletes, Banter Nation? Are you hyped for College Football 26? And which recruiting miss still stings you the most for your favorite team? Let us know in the comments!

[vattibatti]

Stupid

"Abby?"

Nothing.

"Abby!"

Not a thing. Ryan's sister didn't even flinch. Her face was buried in her phone as she kept walking straight past their turn and into the street.

"ABBY!"

Ryan grabbed his sister by the back of her shirt and yanked her back with all the strength he had in his little body. Abby yelped as she jerked back just in time to avoid an oncoming car. The driver honked and cursed at her as they passed.

Ryan fell back on the sidewalk when Abby jumped and freed the tension he'd built up between them.

"Oh sh- uh-" Abby caught herself just shy of swearing and spun around to check on her baby brother. "Ryan, are you ok?"

Ryan groaned and rubbed the sore spot on his but as he pulled himself to his feet. "I'm fine, it's you I'm worried about," he griped.

Abby hadn't looked up from her phone once the whole walk home. Ryan was starting to curse the day she got the stupid thing. Every kid at her school already had a phone. Hell, most of the kids in Ryan's sixth-grade class had a phone, but Mom was old-fashioned. She told Abby that if she wanted a smartphone, she would have to get a part-time job and save up for it herself. So she did. She got a part-time job after school and worked weekends until she had enough to get her new phone, then proceeded to quit said job so she could spend her every free moment on it.

Abby waved off Ryan's concern. "Relax, Ryan. I'm fine."

The words of a flighty teenager who nearly walked straight into traffic.

The phone pinged again, and Abby excitedly returned to her text messages.

Ryan scowled as he watched her, attempting to burn holes into his sister with his glare. She didn't notice.

Abby was supposed to be walking him home. That was the routine. Every day when school let out, Ryan would wait outside for his sister to come and get him, and they would walk home together. Ever since she got that stupid phone, she'd been late every stupid day.

Abby let out an excited squeal and did a happy little dance. "Oh my god! Ray finally got his car street legal!" She held out her phone for Ryan to see.

Ryan leaned back before she could smush the hunk of plastic and circuitry into his face. He glanced at the picture. It was a car, big whoop. Some kind of convertible. Ryan didn't know shit about cars. "Good for Ray."

Ray was Abby's boyfriend. He was… fine. He paid Abby's phone bill for her.

Mom didn't like him.

Ray's dad owned a repair shop where Ray worked part-time with him. Ray had been working on a pet project, fixing up some old piece of junk he got his hands on for cheap. Ryan couldn't care less, but thanks to his sister, he knew more about this loser teenager than he could ever possibly want to know.

"Ray's coming by to pick us up!" Abby was on cloud nine, practically swooning as she texted him back.

Ryan blinked at his sister and took a step back. "You can get a ride home if you want. I'm walking." Ryan turned to resume the usual route home on foot. He wanted to ride his skateboard to and from, but Mom wanted him to stick close to Abby and didn't trust her to keep up if he had his wheels.

Abby finally looked up from her phone and bolted after him. "Hey wait! You're not allowed to walk home alone!"

"And?"

Abby rushed around to block Ryan's path and leaned down to his eye level. "Come on Ryan, please!" Abby hugged her phone to her chest and flashed him her best puppy dog pout.

Ryan crossed his arms and only sured-up his defenses. He was a brick wall and would not be budged.

"Uhg, I know you don't like him, but can you at least put up with him for a few minutes. Just for me?"

Ryan sighed and pushed past his sister. "Just go if you want to. I can walk home on my own."

"But mom-"

"Mom won't be home till eleven. She won't know."

"How do you know?"

What a stupid question.

"Because I pay attention to her work schedule," Ryan huffed. "Unlike some people," he muttered under his breath.

Abby trotted along behind him for a bit. He could hear her texting again. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Go have fun with your stupid boyfriend, Abby. I don't care. I'm not gonna rat you out." Ryan kept walking. He was more than content to leave his sister behind. At least if she were with Ray, she wouldn't get herself flattened like a stupid pancake. Ray was boring and stupid, but at least he had some sense in that thick skull of his. Those two deserved each other, honestly.

"EEEK! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" Abby rushed up to grab Ryan's face and smoosh his cheek with kisses.

"Ew! Get off!" Ryan was quick to shove her hands away.

And back to the phone. Of course, she was back on her stupid phone. Abby was grinning ear to ear, excitedly as she planned her date night with Ray. "I really owe you one, pipsqueak. Whatever you need, just let me know, ok?" She didn't look at Ryan when she spoke. He wasn't important enough to look in the eye when she made promises.

"Yeah, sure." Ryan didn't need anything from his sister. He never did. He didn't need anything from anyone. He was a perfectly self-sufficient kid. He didn't understand why older people always seemed to think he needed supervision doing the most basic things. Maybe other kids did, dumber kids. Maybe Abby did when she was in the sixth grade.

Ryan turned and kept walking. He knew the route home like the back of his hand. It hadn't changed in years. He didn't need a buddy to walk him home. Especially not a love-struck, airhead like his sister. Honestly, the walk home was more pleasant alone. At least now he didn't need to be Abby's seeing-eye brother. He understood why Mom didn't like Abby dating. Nothing good ever came out of teenagers dating.

Well, maybe Abby did…

Ryan didn't like to think about that. He knew his parents were young when they had Abby, but trying to process just how young made his head spin. Mom was the same age Abby was now. That was uncanny to picture. It was hard to imagine Mom ever actually being a teenager. When he tried to picture her younger all he could imagine was a mini adult. Was Mom stupid too when she was Abby's age? Definitely not, right? She couldn't have ever been that stupid.

Ryan wrung the straps of his backpack in his hands as he walked.

He thought he was a pretty smart kid. He knew how to do most things and did them well. His grades weren't always the best, but he was good at all the important stuff, the stuff that mattered. Ryan knew how to pay attention when it mattered. He could walk himself home. If he wanted to, he could walk to the high school where Abby attended, or his favorite comic shop, or the emergency service center his mom dispatched from. Ryan had a very good sense of direction. He taught himself how to cook and was smart enough to lie and say Abby taught him so Mom wouldn't get on his case about using the stove unsupervised.

Honestly, Mom worried too much. Ryan could take care of himself. He was very proud of that fact.

That said, teenagers worried him. Abby used to be fun, then she hit puberty and she got stupid. She constantly had boys and gossip on the brain, and Mom was constantly struggling to keep her focused on her schoolwork. Abby used to care about worthwhile things like video games and going to the skatepark with Mom when she had a day off. Abby was never really good at skateboarding, or rollerblading, or cycling, or scooters… It didn't matter that she was bad at all of it. Spending time with Mom was important. Well, it used to be. Ray was the only important person to her now.

Ryan stopped when he reached the front door. Its orange mid-century modern design stood out against the other identical townhomes on their street. Ryan was young when they moved in, but he still remembered remodeling the place with his uncles. Mom let him paint one of the walls since he was too little to do much else. He'd painted over that mural a couple of times already. He'd probably paint over it again in the future.

Mom had a baby at seventeen. She had to have been a stupid teenager at some point.

The thought of high school and puberty put a pit in Ryan's stomach. Would he turn stupid, too? Would he stop caring about all the things that mattered to him now? Middle school was coming up soon. It felt like a death sentence.

Ryan fished the house keys out of his backpack. Abby was supposed to be the one with the keys, but she forgot them too many times, so Ryan took over keeping track of them. He unlocked the front door and let himself inside, shoes on the mat by the door, homework out, backpack in the hall closet. He set his folder on the counter in the kitchen and got out pots and pans to make spaghetti and meat sauce. At least, no matter how stupid he got, he could still make spaghetti. Even a stupid person could boil pasta and fry ground beef. He might be stupid someday, but at least he'd always be fed.