When Ball State’s spring practice began in late March, sophomore wide receiver Jordan Williams knew he had an opportunity.
Receivers above him on the depth chart in senior Jamill Smith, junior Chris Shillings and senior Connor Ryan would see limited participation, giving Williams the chance to see more snaps with the first team offense.
After Saturday’s spring game, he put himself in the conversation as one of the top wide receivers on the team.
“I think he’s on his way to being one of our top four or top five receivers,” offensive coordinator Rich Skrosky said following the spring game.
Williams spent the spring game on the field with the first-team offense and was one of the top two targeted receivers along with junior Willie Snead. He scored the second touchdown of the spring game, capping off a quick two-play series to extend the Red team’s lead to 23-13.
At 6-feet-2-inches, Williams was able to use his size and strength to fight through defenders and use his frame to give quarterback Keith Wenning a big target.
“[Wenning] does have to be exactly accurate,” Williams said. “I can go up and get it.”
He did just that in the spring game. Whether it was on longer routes or slants over the middle, Williams showed off his improved game that he spent the last three weeks working on.
And the coaching staff took notice.
“With all the injuries we had at receiver, Jordan got an opportunity this spring to take a lot of snaps with the first team,” coach Pete Lembo said. “He took advantage of those. He practiced with a lot more consistency.”
Lembo said that the most encouraging part of seeing Williams perform well in the spring is giving more depth at wide receiver. It also gives a solid backup option for Snead when he needs a rest, which Lembo said didn’t happen often last season.
In his first run through with the first-team offense in a game scenario, Skrosky was pleased with how Williams responded.
But from now until fall camp opens in August, Williams said he will continue to improve his game in the offseason. His end goal isn’t to be a starting receiver for Ball State, he just wants to see more time on the field.
“This is the final examination,” Williams said after the spring game. “I just hope I did good.”
