Riley Williams Could Play Early for Miami
The Miami Hurricanes will lose tight end Will Mallory to the NFL. He is one of the better all-around tight ends in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the country.
Mallory’s 2022 statistics include him being first on the squad with 42 receptions, as well as earning top team honors with 538 yards, a 12.8 average per reception, and being second with three receiving touchdowns. In short, he is going to be missed.
As for returning experience, there is not much at tight end for Miami. Freshman Jaleel Skinner is the likely starter after playing in 10 games this season, catching nine passes for 129 yards and a score. After Skinner, there’s sophomore Elijah Brantley, redshirt freshman Kahlil Brantley, and freshman Dominic Mammarelli. Between those final three, only 10 catches in total.
The youthfulness and lack of experience would be a major reason why Mario Cristobal and his staff are assembling the nation’s best tight end recruiting class. One of the prospects from the three-man group would be Riley Williams. He has the talent to make an impact next fall.
Williams is at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, a place that’s full of competition. He will now trek to Coral Gables and be more battle tested than the vast majority of prep tight ends.
Williams is 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds. More importantly, he is nimble on his feet and possesses soft hands. The latter category could lend itself to allowing Williams to be in the three-deep tight end depth chart in a hurry.
Williams does an excellent job of catching the football away from his body, even in traffic, to make big plays. The Canes use the tight end position quite often in the passing game, and also do so in a variety of ways, which benefits Williams’ playing style.
As a member of IMG Academy, Williams is known to split out wide and catch fade balls and play much more like a wide receiver instead of a tight end. He will be a valuable option when the Canes go with a five-wide formation and he splits out wide. Same with a four-man formation, too. Here's a look at a one-on-one rep from Williams:
While not a pure burner, Williams does well in small areas to get a linebacker or safety off balance with a jab step or change of speed. Then, after creating even a little bit of separation, Williams is adept at using his body to keep defenders away from an incoming throw.
He’s savvy. That’s possibly the best way to define Williams as a route runner. He frustrates opposing players with how he mixes up his route running.
This natural ability from Williams will lend itself to being an opportunity to be inserted into the lineup next fall. Hard to find tight ends with a frame like Williams and his hands to boot. Lastly, he is filling out his frame.
It might be a year or two, but Williams does play as an attached traditional tight end as well. To block edge defenders at the Power 5 level Williams needs more strength; he also needs technique refinement. That’s fine. It’s part of the process of being a college tight end.
A cerebral and quiet young man most of the time, Williams is a quick learner and one that’s highly competitive. Look for him to get up to speed with run and pass blocking sooner than later.
Likely sooner than later, Williams will be hitting the gridiron for Miami. He has the tools to make an impact. Great pickup for Mario Cristobal and the Canes.
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