OFFICIAL: WR Jarel Williams Signs with West Virginia

The Mountaineers have received a National Letter of Intent from Jarel Williams.

WR Jarel Williams

Height: 6'2" Weight: 190 lbs

Hometown: Saraland, AL

High school: Saraland

Power Five Offers:

Colorado, Florida State, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Tennessee, West Virginia.

Group of Five Offers:

Marshall, South Alabama, Southern Miss, UCF.

Evaluation by John Garcia Jr of SI All-American:

As a junior in 2020, considered Williams' breakout campaign at the 6A program, he led the Spartans with 802 yards and 10 touchdowns receiving, averaging 19.5 yards per catch along the way. It earned him all-state honors in the state of Alabama's second-highest classification.

In digging into the available tape on Williams, it appears he has the physical makeup to contend for WR1 responsibility down the line. The frame is striking against (very good) prep competition, and it makes him a vertical threat without much-wasted movement. He puts pressure on the cover man with long strides and enough polish at the top of the route to flip his hips, too. While he isn't the fastest prospect, he has enough juice at that size to work with a complete route tree.

Where Williams surprises given the size is his ability to make plays with the football already in his hands. He showcases some suddenness and the ability to decelerate better than most at his size. As he continues to work on lowering his plane to maximize his lower-body strength and ability to pull away from defenders, this strength will become a bigger one. Williams made plays in the catch-and-run game and return game on routine in 2020, breaking tackles with above-average physicality on occasion, too.

A very good varsity basketball prospect who led the Spartans into the playoffs this spring, there is classic and understandable wide receiver body control on display. Williams is quite comfortable with the football in the air and he can adjust based on the flight of it. As he polishes up his hands, with more examples of plucking the ball away from his body and/or playing at the apex, his catch radius and the quarterback's margin for error will each grow.

Playing time projection:

Williams has the look of a WR1 but that will be a few years down the road. I would anticipate him having a similar role to the one that Kaden Prather had this season. He'll see some action here and there but will start to see more snaps toward the end of the year. By 2023, he should be in the top four of the Mountaineers' wide receiver rotation.

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