Wide receiver was already a position of need that Utah was looking to bolster in the transfer portal. That need potentially became even greater Tuesday, after On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Zacharyus …
Wide receiver was already a position of need that Utah was looking to bolster in the transfer portal.
That need potentially became even greater Tuesday, after On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Zacharyus Williams has entered the portal.
Tuesday’s news comes two weeks after Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said Williams emerged as the Utes’ WR1 during spring ball.
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“He’s the guy that’s making the most plays, getting open, running the best routes, catching the football clean and is really dangerous after the catch,” Whittingham said at the time, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Williams had taken advantage of the opportunities afforded him during the spring to make an impression, after Utah had lost its top two wide receivers from last year — Dorian Singer and Money Parks — who had exhausted their eligibility.
As a freshman during the 2024 season, Williams caught 10 passes for 101 yards. He ended the season on a promising note, catching six passes for 72 yards in the Utes’ win over UCF.
Williams has developed chemistry with new Utah starting quarterback Devon Dampier during the spring, and that was on display Saturday in the program’s spring game.
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On the first play of the fourth quarter, Williams hauled in a pass near the sideline from Dampier on a perfectly placed ball that gained 29 yards and moved the ball to the 3-yard line.
“That’s one of his main attributes is after the catch, he can make some people miss and get some that YAC yardage, run after catch yardage. He’s also very good on the jet sweeps,” Whittingham said of Williams’ abilities.
Williams also caught a 25-yard pass from Dampier to start the second half of the scrimmage, finishing with two catches for 54 yards unofficially on the day.
While Williams going into the portal doesn’t guarantee he won’t return to the team, it further puts pressure on a position of need.
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The Utes already hit the portal hard earlier this offseason to bring in wide receiver talent, adding Mississippi State’s Creed Whittemore, Utah State’s Otto Tia and Wyoming’s Justin Stevenson, as well as New Mexico’s Ryan Davis, who played alongside Dampier for the Lobos last season.
Following Saturday’s 22 Forever spring game, Whittingham noted that there were too many dropped passes from his receiving group at Rice-Eccles Stadium that day.
“Too many drops in the first half. If there’s something to fix, that’s certainly it. We were … just not good catching the football, pure, plain and simple,” Whittingham said.
“We did start getting better in the second half and got into a little more of a rhythm offensively, but those are drive killers. You can’t have that many drops and expect to be effective on offense, so we’re aware of that and we’ll get that corrected.”
Source: Utah News