The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Williams serves as an extension of the Rebel offensive line as a ferocious blocker, and he can line up as a receiver and manhandle smaller defensive backs.
“I challenged him Saturday, I think Jordan can become the best tight end in Texas,” LHS head coach Clint Hartman said.
Williams is one of many weapons that quarterback Marcos Davila has as potential receiving targets in an explosive Rebel offense.
Williams and No. 25-ranked Legacy (1-0) host Amarillo Tascosa at 7 p.m. Friday in their home opener at Astound Broadband Stadium.
In previous seasons under Hartman, the LHS typically used its tight ends/H-backs as strictly blockers, but Williams brings the added dimension of being a receiving threat.
“I’m the first official tight end on this team,” Williams said. “It’s a big puzzle piece to this team. I’m very versatile so you don’t know what I am going to do. You don’t know if I’m going to block one play or go out for a route the next. I think it’s a very important piece for this team.”
“It’s a big mismatch every time,” Williams adds. “If they’re bigger, I can just outrun them. If they’re smaller, I can jump over them or bully them.”
Williams begins his practices blocking with the linemen and working with Rebels offensive line coach Boe Smith.
Williams takes playing in the trenches seriously.
“I think blocking is a big part of tight end,” Williams said. “It goes unnoticed sometimes. But in the film, the coaches see it.
“I want one day be like Travis Kelce and (those tight ends) in the NFL.”
Williams has dreams of playing in the NFL and he has the best mentor to help him get there, his father.
His dad Roy Williams was one of the all-time great players at rival Odessa Permian from 1997-99, was an All-American receiver at the University of Texas and was a Pro Bowl receiver in his nine-year NFL career with the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears.
“My dad is my number one fan for sure,” Williams said. “He’s never missed a game in my entire life. I can’t remember when I didn’t see him at a game. It’s really important for me for him to be there.”
Being the son of a former NFL pass catcher is evident when Williams plucks the ball out of the air effortlessly.
“He’s one of those guys that you don’t hear the ball touch his hands,” Hartman said. “He’s got really soft hands.”
Even with his NFL bloodlines, Williams’ football career hasn’t always been easy, as he has dealt with adversity.
He missed his sophomore season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and torn meniscus in his knee.
Williams earned the Rebels starting tight end job as a junior, but he’s really come on since the offseason started.
Williams picked up offers from Division I programs such as North Texas, Texas State, and Incarnate Word this summer.
Hartman says the tight end just put his head down and went to work in the weight room. He has worked hard to become stronger, squatting over 400 pounds and benching over 300 pounds.
“I think his offseason was amazing,” Hartman said. “He got stronger. He started questions. He said, ‘Coach, can I go with the offensive line? I need to get a base under me.’ He starts with the O-line when we’re warming up and then he ends up coming over to the receivers and catching balls. He’s a really good athlete for as big as he is. He’s a great basketball player.
“Jordan, as far as his mentality, he’s pretty calm, and he’s Steady Eddie. He will talk to you, he doesn’t get too high, he doesn’t get too low. I think he’s figured out that I can be dominant force in this game, and I can change the game. I can block, I can catch, I can do those things. He’s been fun to coach.”
Williams said what he’s learned the most from his father has been the value of hard work.
“He just thought me to outwork everybody because you never know what happens,” Williams said. “Somebody can go down or somebody can see you. You never know what coach will see you and get offered right there.”
Williams and the Rebels are about to head into the teeth of their non-district schedule, beginning with Tascosa, which is perennially tough in Class 5A Division I. Tascosa won the 2022 meeting, 48-27.
“I think it will be a fun game,” Williams said. “It will be our first real challenge this year. I’m excited to see what we can do.”
AMARILLO TASCOSA AT NO. 25 LEGACY
When/where: 7 p.m. Friday, Astound Broadband Stadium
Radio: KCRS (95.5 FM/97.5 FM/550 AM)
Video stream: www.midlandisdsports-rebels.com/broadcasts or Midland ISD athletics app or Mascot Media app
For live updates: Follow @chris_MRTsports on Twitter
Records: Tascosa 1-0; Legacy 1-0
Last game: Tascosa 28, Amarillo Palo Duro 7; Legacy 35, Amarillo High 7
Last meeting/series: Tascosa def. LHS 48-27 in 2022. LHS leads series, 19-9.
What to watch
– LHS and Tascosa continue a series that has been high scoring in recent years, which included a 51-48 win by Legacy in 2021 when quarterback Marcos Davila was a sophomore.
–Even though Tascosa only returns five starters on offense and four on defense, it still has plenty of players that stand out on film to LHS head coach Clint Hartman. Hartman says junior TJ Tillman is an active safety on defense and is a focal point on offense as a receiver, too. Hartman says junior Jaden King continues Tascosa’s tradition of having large, impact defensive ends.
–Tascosa sophomore QB Coltyn Fulton rushed for 88 yards and threw for 120 yards and a TD pass last week against Palo Duro. Fulton is listed at 6-0, 220.
–LHS will look to continue its balanced offensive attack. Davila threw for 209 yards and three TD passes against Amarillo High, while Tommy Johnson ran for 128 yards. ... Click here to read full article
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