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Mario Williams was the crown jewel of the skill position players for Oklahoma’s 2021 recruiting class. He had all the hype and he would sign for Oklahoma in December of 2020. He made play after play in the spring, hit the weights hard, and showed himself well in the spring game and during the summer.
He’s been a consistent part of Oklahoma’s attack this year and it seems other eyes have taken notice. Per PFF Williams has the highest receiving grade of any true freshmen wide receiver through week 8 of the college football season.
Top 3 Graded (receiving) True Freshmen WR's through week 8:
1. Mario Williams OU
2. Xavier Worthy Texas
3. Jack Bech LSU pic.twitter.com/45YJnfgbeD— Daniel Vlosky (@geauXedits) October 26, 2021
Williams has a higher grade than ahead of Xavier Worthy of Texas Longhorns and Jack Bech (LSU Tigers).
Williams hasn’t broken off the monster plays that people expected him to do based on his high school tape but it seems like he’s one broken tackle or a block away from a huge play. Nonetheless, he’s been extremely valuable this season. He has helped move the chains and been an integral part of Oklahoma’s horizontal passing game.
Williams, like many of his Oklahoma teammates, has also been extremely useful in blocking downfield.
Xavier Worthy and the Longhorn fans may have a gripe with this ranking as Worthy has over 500 yards and six touchdowns over Williams’ 219 yards and two touchdowns but it’s clear when evaluating receivers it’s not just about the numbers though.
As it stands, Williams may not hold this position for much longer as he’s currently fighting a minor, but nagging, hamstring injury that caused him to miss Oklahoma’s game against Kansas. The Sooners will want to take it easy as they gear up for their toughest stretch. His health is key and running him out on the field at 75-80 percent against teams Oklahoma should be able to beat without him is very questionable decision making.
With the emergence of Jadon Haselwood, look for Williams to slot back inside primarily as Marvin Mims primary backup when healthy.
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