University of Georgia Athletics
Williams Making Things Happen For Bulldogs
October 15, 2026 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Elyiss Williams is a big man, and Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, with the Georgia football team clinging to a 20-17 lead in the closing minutes, the big tight end made a big-time catch on third-and-7 from the Bulldog 10-yard line.
Williams' 17-yard reception, in traffic on the right side of the field, gave the now-No. 1 Bulldogs a first down at the Georgia 27 with 2:38 to play in the game. It was a timing route, one in which quarterback Gunner Stockton let go of the ball before the 6-foot-7 and 255-pound Williams had even turned to look for it.
"Saw a little window to be able to throw it in there, and definitely Elyiss, he made a great catch to come down with that. That was pretty special," Stockton told reporters postgame.
Williams, with his size, athleticism and abilities, is showing that he could be among the latest special tight ends to take the field for the Bulldogs.
"He's big, athletic and strong," safety Kyron Jones said last month. "He's definitely somebody that gets me and the team better, and he's a great addition to this team. He's going to have a really big year."
Heading into Saturday's game against Auburn at Sanford Stadium, Williams has seven catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns. He's also been a valuable part of Georgia's rushing attack as a blocker.
In the Bulldogs' season-opening rout of Tennessee State, Williams had two receptions for 36 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. He was one of 11 guys to catch at least one pass in the 63-3 win, and he and fellow tight end Jaden Reddell got talked about plenty afterward. They're both big and physical, and they're just as capable of running past defenders as they are of putting a shoulder into a would-be tackler and running him over.
"I think we both have our unique skill sets," Reddell said last month, "which I think it's really good in our tight end room to have unique skill sets. We all play off each other and are able to help each other in other ways."
As for Williams, Reddell added: "He's a really hard guy to tackle. He's huge, so he's a threat in the offense, in the run game, pass game, all over."
Williams had a 14-yard reception against Western Kentucky, a 1-yard grab against Oklahoma, two receptions for 20 yards, including a 1-yarder for a touchdown, and then the 17-yarder to help seal the Alabama win.
For Williams, a lot of who he is as a football player started at home.
"My brothers and I used to always play football in the backyard," he said. "We'd all throw our pads on and just go out there and play all day."
Williams was always the big kid in class growing up. A longtime basketball player, he dunked for the first time in seventh grade. He said all the running and movement in basketball has definitely helped him on the football field.
"I played basketball my whole life, so running up and down the court, it was nothing to me. I'd definitely say the footwork in basketball has helped me, being soft on my feet," he said. "It was always going to be football for sure for me, but I really just enjoyed basketball. My friends played it, and that definitely kept me active during the offseason."
Georgia has a long history of great tight ends, including Brock Bowers, Oscar Delp, Darnell Washington, Charlie Woerner, John FitzPatrick and Ben Yurosek in recent years, and all of those guys are on NFL rosters or practice squads. Bowers, of course, is the gold standard. Over three seasons at Georgia, from 2021-23, he caught 175 passes for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns. Now in his third season with the Las Vegas Raiders, Bowers has 200 career catches for 2,186 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Williams is a different type of tight end from Bowers, who now plays much like a receiver, but he's helping the Bulldogs win all the same. He's already matched last season's reception total six games into his sophomore season, and he looks like he's just getting started.
Staff Writer
Elyiss Williams is a big man, and Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, with the Georgia football team clinging to a 20-17 lead in the closing minutes, the big tight end made a big-time catch on third-and-7 from the Bulldog 10-yard line.
Williams' 17-yard reception, in traffic on the right side of the field, gave the now-No. 1 Bulldogs a first down at the Georgia 27 with 2:38 to play in the game. It was a timing route, one in which quarterback Gunner Stockton let go of the ball before the 6-foot-7 and 255-pound Williams had even turned to look for it.
"Saw a little window to be able to throw it in there, and definitely Elyiss, he made a great catch to come down with that. That was pretty special," Stockton told reporters postgame.
Williams, with his size, athleticism and abilities, is showing that he could be among the latest special tight ends to take the field for the Bulldogs.
"He's big, athletic and strong," safety Kyron Jones said last month. "He's definitely somebody that gets me and the team better, and he's a great addition to this team. He's going to have a really big year."
Heading into Saturday's game against Auburn at Sanford Stadium, Williams has seven catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns. He's also been a valuable part of Georgia's rushing attack as a blocker.
In the Bulldogs' season-opening rout of Tennessee State, Williams had two receptions for 36 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. He was one of 11 guys to catch at least one pass in the 63-3 win, and he and fellow tight end Jaden Reddell got talked about plenty afterward. They're both big and physical, and they're just as capable of running past defenders as they are of putting a shoulder into a would-be tackler and running him over.
"I think we both have our unique skill sets," Reddell said last month, "which I think it's really good in our tight end room to have unique skill sets. We all play off each other and are able to help each other in other ways."
As for Williams, Reddell added: "He's a really hard guy to tackle. He's huge, so he's a threat in the offense, in the run game, pass game, all over."
Williams had a 14-yard reception against Western Kentucky, a 1-yard grab against Oklahoma, two receptions for 20 yards, including a 1-yarder for a touchdown, and then the 17-yarder to help seal the Alabama win.
For Williams, a lot of who he is as a football player started at home.
"My brothers and I used to always play football in the backyard," he said. "We'd all throw our pads on and just go out there and play all day."
Williams was always the big kid in class growing up. A longtime basketball player, he dunked for the first time in seventh grade. He said all the running and movement in basketball has definitely helped him on the football field.
"I played basketball my whole life, so running up and down the court, it was nothing to me. I'd definitely say the footwork in basketball has helped me, being soft on my feet," he said. "It was always going to be football for sure for me, but I really just enjoyed basketball. My friends played it, and that definitely kept me active during the offseason."
Georgia has a long history of great tight ends, including Brock Bowers, Oscar Delp, Darnell Washington, Charlie Woerner, John FitzPatrick and Ben Yurosek in recent years, and all of those guys are on NFL rosters or practice squads. Bowers, of course, is the gold standard. Over three seasons at Georgia, from 2021-23, he caught 175 passes for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns. Now in his third season with the Las Vegas Raiders, Bowers has 200 career catches for 2,186 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Williams is a different type of tight end from Bowers, who now plays much like a receiver, but he's helping the Bulldogs win all the same. He's already matched last season's reception total six games into his sophomore season, and he looks like he's just getting started.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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