Alabama freshman receiver Ryan Williams and cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe spoke to the media after the Crimson Tide’s practice on Friday. Their presence in front of reporters and TV cameras is an obvious sign that some things have changed at Alabama under a new coaching regime.

When Nick Saban was at the helm, Alabama had a rule that did not allow freshmen to speak to the media. Now, those young stars aren’t only facing reporters, but have been encouraged by the former Alabama coach to get their voices out there.

Williams and Mbakwe always knew they wanted to do a podcast together when they went to college. The two had initially planned on running a show out of their dorm but thanks to Saban’s endorsement and Alabama’s involvement, the pair were able to start their show with a more professional setup.

"It was actually Coach Saban," Williams said... "He was like ‘Yeah, that’s a good idea,' because he told us there was going to be an [NIL] center and that was last year during our recruitment process, and we were going to do it in the dorm and everybody just kept supporting us and Alabama has done a great job of allowing us to express ourselves and share it on the platform.”

Though it came after Saban’s retirement, Williams and Mbakwe successfully launched the New Wave Podcast this fall. With Alabama football’s creative team producing the show, the two teammates and longtime friends host, talk about their day-to-day and tell stories about their unique student-athlete experiences. So far, they’ve also brought in defensive back Red Morgan and Alabama General Manager Courtney Morgan as guests.

Saban went from a coach with a rule against freshmen speaking to the media, to actively encouraging two of the Tide’s young stars by the end of his Alabama career. The evolution is perhaps representative of college football as a whole. Young athletes can now both capitalize on their likeness and have their own platform to “show we’re more than just football players,” as Williams says in the intro of New Wave’s first episode.

Under new Coach Kalen DeBoer, that evolution is also evident with Alabama’s freshman stars being allowed to speak to the media. Williams has already stepped in front of reporters this season after his electric performance against Western Kentucky. For him and Mbakwe in particular, there’s no hesitation when it comes to making their voices heard.

“I definitely embrace it because I know it is part of it and if I wouldn’t have been doing it this year then at some point I believe I would’ve been doing it,” Williams said. “But it is a privilege and honor to be able to do it my freshman year and I appreciate Coach DeBoer for that.”

“I love talking to the media,” Mbakwe added. “Everybody knows Bak loves being in front of the camera.”