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Oklahoma WR Mario Williams to Enter Transfer Portal

Williams makes the move shortly after quarterback Caleb Williams announced he would be exploring his options as well.

John E. Hoover

Oklahoma WR Mario Williams to Enter Transfer Portal
Oklahoma WR Mario Williams to Enter Transfer Portal /

Caleb Williams’s entrance into the transfer portal on Monday afternoon might have been only the beginning.

Wide receiver Mario Williams—like his quarterback, a 5-star prospect and one of the top players on the 2021 Sports Illustrated All-American team — has joined Caleb Williams in the NCAA transfer portal.

"I'd like to start by thanking all of you for the support this season," Williams wrote. "Having the opportunity to play in 'the palace on the prairie' has created some amazing memories for me that I will cherish forever. I'd like to thank Coach [Lincoln] Riley and Coach [Dennis] Simmons for giving me the chance to showcase my talents on one of the biggest stages in the nation. I'm grateful for my teammates and the relationships we've built, as well as the lessons I've learned on an off the field.

"I'd like to thank God for being with me every step of the way throughout my life and football journey. Thank you to my family who provides constant support and guidance. At this time, I will be entering the transfer portal."

Mario Williams was second on the team with 33 catches, fourth with 347 yards and tied for second with four touchdown grabs as a true freshman. He also completed one pass attempt for 10 yards, got one rushing attempt for one yard, and returned five kickoffs for 108 yards—a 21.6-yard average.

Williams’ best game was a five-catch, 100-yard effort against Texas Tech, in which he scored on a 22-yard reception. He didn’t reach 50 yards in the other 11 games in which he played.

The 5-foot-9, 186-pound Williams, from Plant City High School in Tampa, FL, was SIAA’s No. 1 slot receiver before he signed with the Sooners.

As a freshman under Lincoln Riley, Williams was unavailable for comment all of 2021, but as a recruit, he had expressed a desire to catch passes from Caleb Williams.

Just one day before Mario Williams announced his intentions, Caleb Williams revealed via social media that he was entering the portal, but didn’t close the door on returning to OU.

Players who enter the transfer portal can begin the process of communicating with other schools. If a player hasn’t entered his name in the portal, other schools are forbidden from talking to them, per NCAA rules.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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