‘Capable of doing anything you need’: WSU’s Kyle Williams is becoming much more than a deep-ball threat

PULLMAN — When we talk about Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams, there’s a temptation to talk about him as a deep-ball threat.

He’s the Cougars’ best deep threat.

He can take the top off a defense.

He’s always a threat for a big play.

It all makes sense. Some of Williams’ best plays in the crimson and gray have come on long passes. His 25-yard touchdown catch in last year’s Apple Cup; his 63-yarder against Oregon State; his 34-yard touchdown catch against Colorado. Even nonscoring plays, like an acrobatic 37-yard reception against UW and a 47-yarder against Oregon.

The numbers back that up. Last fall, he hauled in nine passes of 20-plus air yards, turning four into touchdowns, for 352 yards. At that depth of target, he earned a Pro Football Focus grade of 98.1, sixth best among qualified Pac-12 receivers.

“His greatest strength is the vertical stretch game,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said.

But if Williams showed anything in his 2024 debut, a 70-30 WSU win over Portland State last week, it’s that there are layers to his game. He’s more than just a deep-ball option.

“That was big for me,” Williams said. “I always felt like I was an all-around receiver, but I feel like not enough people have seen it. So for me, it was just coming out, showing the things that a lot of people haven’t seen. So running after the catch, just making more contested catches.”

Williams did that and more against the FCS Vikings. He totaled two touchdowns on four receptions, one a deep ball from quarterback John Mateer, whose throw traveled some 30 yards for a 58-yard strike. Williams’ second touchdown signaled he’s making a conscious effort to round out his game, that the Cougars’ coaches are ready to use him in more ways.

It came early in the third quarter. Mateer took a short dropback and unleashed a throw of about 9 yards to Williams, who turned around for the catch. He planted a foot in the ground and took off to his left, shaking one tackle and outracing everyone to the end zone, a 59-yard touchdown catch. On that one, Williams recorded 55 yards after the catch.

“Kyle is one of them guys that’s just – he’s different, man,” WSU receiver Tre Shackelford said. “He can go deep on you, but that’s my first time ever seeing him open up. That shows that he’s capable of doing anything you need. He is a complete receiver. It’s just great with him being the leader of our room, so with him being able to do everything, it just helps us grow.”

Ahead of WSU’s home showdown with Texas Tech on Saturday, set for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Fox, Williams’ versatility might figure prominently in the Cougars’ game plan. Washington State is operating without one receiver who was set to play meaningful snaps, injured sophomore Carlos Hernandez, which makes Williams the team’s only returning receiver who played a notable role last fall.

Around Williams are a group of talented wideouts, from Shackelford to Oregon transfer Kris Hutson, who announced his arrival as a Cougar with a diving touchdown catch last week. They’re all new to WSU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle’s offense, though, which makes Williams such an important playmaker in the Cougs’ receiver corps.

“We’ll use Kyle in a very different role than he was just last year,” Dickert said before the season. “He won’t just be sitting out at X receiver, and I think that’s exciting for him and John. Kyle’s our greatest playmaker. We gotta find ways to get him the ball.”

The Cougars are succeeding on that front. The proof is in another number, yards after catch, or YAC. In 2023, Williams averaged 5.3 YAC, third behind Josh Kelly and Lincoln Victor, the Cougars’ other two main receivers. Those numbers supported Arbuckle’s approach: Let Kelly and Victor make plays in space, and free up Williams down the field.

But Kelly has transferred to Texas Tech and Victor is awaiting his next NFL opportunity, leaving Williams to take on both roles this season. He’s passing with flying colors. In the Cougars’ season-opener, he made two catches between 0-9 yards, even one behind the line of scrimmage. He piled up 77 YAC on those three receptions alone.

“For me, (YAC) was always a big thing,” Williams said. “So knowing that I can catch it and instead of me catching a 50-yard bomb, I can catch a 10-yard pass and take it 60. Those are the things that I always try to perfect in my game.”

How does this development align with the challenge Texas Tech might provide for WSU? Early returns indicate an advantage for Washington State. In their 52-51 overtime win over FCS Abilene Christian last week, the Red Raiders finished with a PFF coverage grade of 36.9, second worst of 133 FBS teams in action last week. They also recorded a tackling grade of 33.8, also second worst in the country, totaling 22 missed tackles.

Texas Tech’s starting secondary includes two sophomores, free safety Chapman Lewis and cornerback Maurion Horn, plus junior AJ. McCarty, who will be playing his third game as a Red Raider. Tech also starts two seniors in cornerback Bralyn Lux and strong safety C.J. Baskerville.

How they fare remains to be seen, but this might be for sure: They’ll have to cover Williams on all types of routes.

“The deep ball, you’re gonna see that continuously. This is gonna be an end-on thing,” Williams said. “But I want everybody to see that (versatility) from me more, and just knowing that I can do that myself.”