USF football made a low-risk, potentially high-reward move Thursday when receiver Tyler Williams committed to the Bulls from the University of Minnesota.
Williams was a four-star receiver coming out of Florida powerhouse Lakeland High School in 2023.
He was key player on the Dreadnaughts 2022 team that finished a 14-0 season by defeating Venice High in the state championship game. He caught six touchdown passes that season.
He chose Georgia over multiple power-conference offers, but left there after playing 33 snaps as a true freshman. It didn’t work out at Minnesota. He played in only two games and three snaps for the Gophers.
The Bulls clearly believe the potential for a substantial impact is there, even if the production has not been.
Andrew Ivins, the Director of Scouting for 247Sports, called Williams “a potential big-play machine out on the perimeter” coming out of high school.
“Pretty green from a technical standpoint, which makes sense seeing as how he was deployed mostly as a quarterback early on in prep career,” Ivins wrote.
“Still, has plenty of upside as a wide receiver given fluid movements patterns and ability to make contested catches. Size is unverified, but appears to be over 6-foot-2 and pushing 205 pounds after adding 15 pounds or so to what was once a thin, wiry frame.”
If Williams has indeed found a home where his talent can emerge, it will enhance a potentially formidable receiving corps.
In his first season on the field with the Bulls last year, Keyshaun caught 26 passes for 408 yards and three touchdowns. He has the ability to stretch the field and open up things underneath.
USF expects junior receiver Charles Nimrod, a transfer from Tennessee, to have a huge impact on the offense.
Jaden Alexis, who transferred from Texas in 2023, sat out last season as a medical redshirt after catching 23 passes for 280 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his only full season with the Bulls.
He is rehabbing from a knee injury that kept him sidelined for all of last season. He was another four-star recruit coming out of Monarch High in Pompano Beach.
As a group, the Bulls have to replace the production record-setting receiver Sean Atkins brought. Achieving that has obviously been a top priority in the off-season.