Ohio State football: How Jameson Williams fits with Alabama
By Del Barris
The Ohio State football team lost another receiver to the transfer portal. Here’s how Jameson Williams fits into his new team.
When you lose four receivers to the NFL Draft over two years, it leaves your receiver room a little bare. When you lose four receivers over two years to the NFL Draft and all are first-round picks, it leaves your receiver room REALLY bare. That’s the situation Alabama is facing going into the 2021 season, but it means a great opportunity for former Buckeye Jameson Williams.
The Tide’s top three receivers from last year accounted for two-thirds of the team’s catches. Only John Metchie III returns and he was limited in spring practice. There is a big drop off from his 55 catches to Slade Bolden’s 24.
If you look at their depth chart for the national championship against the Buckeyes, the four receivers listed behind the starters combined for a total of six catches in 2020. This means there is room for Williams to come in and compete right away for a starting spot.
Another plus in favor of Williams is his experience compared to Alabama’s receivers. The Tide has a young group. Meetchie III and Bolden are juniors, but the remainder is made up mostly of sophomores who did not play a lot, redshirt freshmen, and true freshmen.
Among those true freshmen is five-star Jacorey Brooks, who is expected to be a serious competitor for immediate playing time. He’s one of four receivers Nick Saban signed in this latest recruiting class. Williams may not have been very productive with the Buckeyes, but that game experience is going to benefit him in spades.
I’ve seen some comments from Tide fans on social media claiming Williams didn’t put up big numbers with the Ohio State football team because he wasn’t used properly. That’s a completely ridiculous thing to say, so I’m not going to bother with it much.
He’s certainly giving this young group a boost, but I don’t think you’re going to see Williams go from catching a little over one pass per game on average to the five or six Alabama fans are expecting.
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Jameson Williams could not have chosen a better situation. A team coming off of a national championship who is in need of a veteran receiver. Now it’s up to him to show he’s worthy of the excitement Tide fans feel for him.