WATCH: RS FR DB Ronnie Royal III is Ready to Make an Impact in 2025 (with transcript)

Redshirt Freshman Defensive Back Ronnie Royal (5’9″/185) is ready to make an impact in 2025. As a True Freshman, he saw action in 4 games on Special Teams, maintaining his ability to redshirt the season.

Royal III was a 4-star prospect in the Wolfpack’s 2024 recruiting class, with Rivals ranking him as the #15 overall player in the state of Alabama.

At Gulf Shores High School, Royal III did a little bit of everything, making a massive impact on defense, offense and special teams. He rushed for 1,069 yards and 17 touchdowns for Gulf Shores as a Senior this year, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. He also had 34 receptions for 473 yards and a touchdown. Defensivley, he had 55 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 5 interceptions, 12 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles. Royal averaged 29.4 yards per kickoff return (14 returns) and 21.7 yards per punt return (28 returns). Outside of touchdowns via rushing and catching, Royal also returned two interceptions for touchdowns, returned 4 punts for touchdowns and returned 2 kickoffs for touchdowns. Royal III helped propel Gulf Shores to an undefeated 15-0 record and a state championship.

In Dave Doeren’s 1st Radio Show of 2025 this week, the Wolfpack’s Head Coach spoke highly of Royal III.

Dave Doeren said he expected redshirt freshman S Ronnie Royal III to play well in camp — and he has.

He compared the safety to Tanner Ingle with how hard he can hit. Doeren also noted fellow classmate Brody Barnhardt “can hit” and Asaad Brown has improved a lot, too.

— Noah Fleischman (@fleischman_noah) August 20, 2025

Comparing Royal III’s hitting ability to Tanner Ingle is no small thing. Ingle was one of the hardest hitting Wolfpack Safeties in recent memory.

Since arriving on campus, Royal III has put on 12 pounds.

Redshirt Senior Rente Hinton was running with the 1’s at Free Safety at the beginning of Fall Camp, but with all the buzz surrounding Royal III, there’s no way he won’t see the field. Could Royal III end up starting at Safety in his Redshirt Freshman season?

You can watch the video above of Royal III talking to the media, and read the transcript below.

Playing one position now, versus playing many in high school

In high school, I had fun over the course of years. I played a lot of sports growing up, and football was my main sport. Making that transition to college, I knew I was going to play one thing, and I wanted to be Free Safety.

I think I enjoy it a lot more, because I get to really focus on my drills and my technique.

Can you tell, in retrospect, how much having a former college coach as your high school coach helped?

My coaches back in high school, they helped me a lot. They kind of gave me a head start. Throughout my high school career, at other schools, I was just playing ball, and he came in and taught me a lot of things, actually. He kind of gave me a head start when I got here to college.

What’s the Safety competition like?

It’s been great. Everybody’s competing. All we do is hold each other accountable, have fun with it, and just play ball.

It’s just a brotherhood, and you know how brothers go, going back and forth, and just have fun at the end of the day.

But it’s been great.

How much did redshirting last year make you more hungry to actually get on the field this year?

It made me a lot hungrier. I had to really put my head down, and really focus. I got to college, and I really didn’t know how it was going to go. I didn’t know if I was going to sit a year, or go ahead and play. So I had to stay ready, so I could be ready. You’ve got to stay ready. Coach Doeren said that. All I did was stay ready and put my head down. Once I knew I was going to redshirt, it made me even hungrier.

What’s it been like to have a different coach, Coach Warren?

He’s a great coach. He’s really taught me a lot on technique and concepts of the game. Just having him around, listening to him every day, taking his coaching every day, I’ve really enjoyed that a lot.

He really brings out a new understanding of football, and makes the game more fun.

What’s the difference for you in having the ball in your hands, versus making tackles or getting interceptions?

I used to have fun having the ball in my hands. Being able to run anywhere, go anywhere and make people miss, but now it’s more focusing on tackling. My big goal is just to tackle and get the ball back, so I can have the ball in my hands again.

Would you describe yourself as a physical player?

I would say I’m aggressive. I love to hit, and I’m not scared to hit.

I’ll come down when I need to come down. When I need to box, I box. Physicality, no problem.

What’s the one thing that sticks out that you’ve improved on since you got to college?

I’d probably say communication, in a lot of different ways. Back in high school, I communicated off-and-on the field, but I didn’t do it as well, but when I got to college, they drilled that in me, and I really appreciate that.

Calling out checks and our adjustments in the secondary. I’d say also my technique.

Who would you say are some of the leaders in the safety room right now?

Rente Hinton. JJ Johnson. I’d say myself included, and Jackson Vick