OXFORD — Ole Miss sophomore wide receiver Ayden Williams is staying true to the process, despite being aware it might not yield immediate results.
Expectations were sky-high for Williams from the moment he stepped on campus. Williams was a consensus four-star recruit in the 2023 class and was the No. 2 ranked player in Mississippi behind current Rebels teammate Suntarine Perkins. Williams shined at Ridgeland High, racking up 2,421 yards and 28 touchdowns over his final two prep seasons.
Williams turned heads last fall, making highlight-reel catch after highlight-reel catch in practice. He was a routine topic of conversation among players and head coach Lane Kiffin during press conferences in August. Williams caught two passes for 47 yards in the Rebels’ opener against Mercer but caught two passes the remainder of the season.
Ole Miss had a wealth of veteran riches in its wide receiver room — Tre Harris, Dayton Wade and Jordan Watkins all had significant collegiate experience entering the season, and each wound up with more than 700 receiving yards in 2023. In addition to a crowded depth chart ahead of him, Williams was also dealing with a slight groin injury he had surgery on this offseason. His practice stardom not translating to gameday was admittedly difficult for a time.
“At first it was. I was … just itching to get out there and really show what I can do,” Williams said. “But it was really like, ‘Alright, so I’m not out there right now. What can I learn, what can I do to prepare myself for next year when I do get my opportunity?’”
Harris and Watkins are both back for another season, and the Rebels added former South Carolina wide receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells to the fold, himself a former All-SEC pick and one of the top players in the transfer portal. The ability to learn behind veterans like Harris and Watkins last year was an opportunity to become the best version of himself. He tried “to be a sponge,” learning the ins and outs of the position from his elders. Williams is going to give it his best shot, regardless of the players around him.
“My role (is) to come in and compete. I mean, I understand there’s veteran guys in the room, I’m still going to learn from them,” Williams said. “But at the end of the day, it’s football, so we’re all competing to get out there on that field. My mindset is one track: get on the field.”
Much like fellow receiver and 2023 signee Cayden Lee, Williams decided to take the old-school road and stay at Ole Miss rather than enter his own name in the portal in search of an easier path to playing time. His reasoning was simple: he is learning pro football concepts now. Plus, the NFL brings in new players for competition all the time through free agency and the draft. Running from the grind to another program isn’t going to help him in his future endeavors.
“Stuff we learn in here is really like the NFL. So with guys coming in, it’s going to be like that when we get to the next level,” Williams said. “So, as long as we stay here and learn everything that we need to do, compete here, when we get to the next level it’s going to be like, no problem. Guys coming in and out, that’s not worrying me. As long as I put my work in, God (is) going to take care of the rest.”
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