FSM Presents: UNLV's Kyle Williams 1-on-1

FSM Presents: UNLV’s Kyle Williams 1-on-1

Franchise Sports Media

 

FSM’s Matt Dobbs sat down with the Rebels playmaking wide receiver Kyle Williams. The reigning Mountain West freshman of the Year talks to Matt about his goals, playing in the pandemic, and transitioning from high school to college.

 

Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland is UNLV wide receiver, Kyle Williams. Williams, a Sophomore, is a reigning Freshman All-American and Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West Conference, currently in his second season as a Rebel, and has shown no signs of slowing down.

Williams currently majors in business at the UNLV Lee Business School while donning the #1 jersey for the Rebels. Williams started his career in football as a quarterback in high school at Hawthorne and Narbonne before transitioning to wide receiver at St. Monica Catholic High School in Santa Monica, California.

In high school as a receiver, Williams caught 31 passes for a total of 763 yards and nine touchdowns to his credit in a 7-2 season for the St. Monica Mariners. Williams debuted against San Diego State University and quickly made a name for himself in the Mountain West Conference. Williams owns the Freshman school record at UNLV with 5.8 receptions per game, beating out Devonte Boyd’s record that lasted from 2014 to 2020.  Williams was also named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, becoming the seventh Rebel and the third ever wide receiver to earn that accolade.

The former high school quarterback-turned-receiver stood out among his peers when he first began playing football. “I had a talent that a lot of people noticed that I didn’t notice myself,” said Williams. “Coaches noticed my talent and I began receiving coaching that would help benefit me in the future.”

 

So far this season, Williams has 18 catches for a total of 207 yards and is looking for his first touchdown of the season.

 

In 2020’s shortened pandemic season, Williams had 426 yards on 35 catches with two touchdowns. Williams has noticed the progress within the organization and the team’s competitive level.

“The goal right now is to perform the best we possibly can and try to finish with a positive record,” Williams said. “Our progress hasn’t been noted nationally yet but it has been noticed by people we know.”

Williams said the best game of his UNLV career to date was their 2020 matchup against Hawaii last season. In that game at Aloha Stadium, Williams caught 10 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown, averaging 14.4 yards per catch.

“Against Hawaii last year, I was myself,” Williams said. “I was able to go out there and be myself and stay confident and that’s my best game to date so far.” Williams also had a big game in UNLV’s most recent meeting against San Jose State with nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Williams’s goals for the rest of this season and the rest of his college career are to help bring the team success and be a part of the national conversation. “We’re looking to become contenders and be a part of the Top 25,” Williams said. “A bowl game is the biggest goal we have as a team moving forward.” UNLV has played in four bowl games in school history, with their most recent appearance coming in the 2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl.

Williams is hopeful to one day play in the National Football League but says he has no preference of what team he would like to play for. “It’s not really about where I want to play in the NFL,” Williams said. “It’s mainly about who wants me and wherever I get drafted to, I will give it my all.”

 

Williams and the Rebels enter a season stretch dominated by Mountain West opponents, including tonight’s game against San Jose State (8pm at Allegiant Stadium) and the rival game against the Nevada Wolfpack on October 29th. Williams and the Rebels are hoping to knock off a few wins to close out the 2021 season on as high of a note as possible.

 

UNLV Football           UNLV Football           UNLV Football           UNLV Football           UNLV Football           UNLV Football           UNLV Football  

 

– Matt Dobbs – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Matt on Twitter @RecordBowler19

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