Ryan Grubb knows what peak Ryan Williams looks like for Alabama football.

He’s a “touch player” who is at his best in space, one who can get it at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield, one who can get downfield on posts and who shines in the intermediate pass game.

“I feel like, Ryan, when he’s playing his best, is in all those positions,” Grubb said.

And Williams is someone Grubb and the offense will need against Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football Playoff Friday, Dec. 19.

After a three-catch, 45-yard performance against Oklahoma Nov. 15, Williams had one catch for 25 yards against Eastern Illinois and did not get a target against Auburn.

Williams had an uptick in production against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game with two catches for 33 yards. But he has not had more than three catches in a game since October.

Williams is an important part of what Alabama‘s peak offense looks like, Grubb made clear. And Williams remains at the center of what the Crimson Tide plans to do offensively against the Sooners.

“Those are the things that you got to try and paint the picture for the defense of what you want to do and where you are going to get the football,” Grubb said.

Alabama kicks off against Oklahoma at 7 p.m. CT Friday in Norman.

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football expects best out of Ryan Williams vs Oklahoma in CFP