Colorado Buffaloes Tight End Charlie Williams Builds Momentum With Week 1 Grade

Charlie Williams entered Week 1 without a college reception, but two catches later, the Colorado Buffaloes tight end owned the highest grade at the position.

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes tight end Charlie Williams (87) reacts after the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Colorado Buffaloes tight end Charlie Williams caught only two passes Thursday night, which normally would not be enough to make him a national Week 1 story. Then Pro Football Network graded the Buffaloes tight end at 95.1, the highest mark at his position in the country.

The number changes the way his night in Atlanta looks. Williams entered the opener without a college reception and with only 20 documented special teams snaps from his 2025 debut against Arizona State. One of his first two catches gave Colorado the lead with 37 seconds left.

California tight end Mason Mini finished second in PFN’s Week 1 grading at 94.9, while Memphis tight end Hunter Tipton came third with 94.7. For Colorado, the surprise is just how quickly a player who had barely appeared on offense became PFN’s highest-graded tight end for Week 1.

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) rushes the ball against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the first half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Charlie Williams Took the Long Way Back to Colorado

The 6-4, 245-pound fourth-year tight end grew up in Aspen before finishing high school at IMG Academy in Florida. He then signed with UNLV in 2023, reshirted without playing, then transferred home to Colorado before the 2024 season.

Although Williams did not play in that year (2024), Colorado finally used him in the last two games of 2025, with his first major college action coming on a kickoff and kickoff return against Arizona State. There was still no record of a reception when the Buffaloes arrived in Atlanta.

The @PFN365 highest-graded TEs from Week 1:

Charlie Williams, Colorado: 95.1
Mason Mini, Cal: 94.9
Hunter Tipton, Memphis: 94.7
David Clement, Syracuse: 93.2
Eli Jacon-Duffy, Bowling Green: 92.9
Fabian Rogosch, Troy: 91.9
Jake Wilson, Wyoming: 91.0
Leon Haughton Jr., ODU: 90.8… pic.twitter.com/8YPGjlIHWr

— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) September 6, 2026

Well, the history made Thursday night's game more than just some timely catch. Colorado asked a player who had waited three seasons for an offensive moment to be ready, and he delivered when it really mattered.

Brennan Marion Already Knew Charlie Williams

Sacramento State Hornets head coach Brennan Marion listens to one of the assistant coaches yell at players on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota. | Samantha Laurey / Argus Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Colorado offensive coordinator Brennan Marion had one piece of history with Williams before taking the job in Boulder. Marion ran UNLV’s offense in 2023, and that was the same season Williams redshirted there.

Interestingly, three years later, that connection showed up with a very important game on the line. Colorado reached the Georgia Tech 20-yard line with 42 seconds remaining and no timeouts. On first down, Williams went up the sideline against man coverage, and Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis put the ball where his tight end could finish the play.

“It looked like they were in man. We saw man. He tried to hold onto the tight end,” Lewis said. “Coach Marion beat them with the play; I beat them with the ball. It’s just how ball works. Charlie made a great catch, touchdown.”

The touchdown was Williams’ second reception of the night. His first had gone eight yards on Colorado’s opening possession. Two catches produced 28 yards, six points, and the biggest offensive play of the game. Marion’s postgame message also made clear how much the staff valued finding a way to finish the road opener.

Charlie Williams’ 95.1 Grade Says A Lot More Than Two Catches

PFN’s tight end grading is not built around receiving yards alone. Its model also includes blocking, which helps to explain how a player with two catches could finish above tight ends with more bigger receiving totals.

Quite frankly, Williams had work to do when the ball never came his way, and the 95.1 suggests PFN saw real value beyond the touchdown. But the performance was not spotless, either. He was called for holding in the third quarter on a run by Colorado running back Micah Welch, pushing the Buffaloes deeper into their own territory.

This makes sense because one grade should not turn one night of offensive production into something it was not. Rather, the better takeaway here is that Williams showed more than one way to help.

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Charlie Williams Provides Colorado Another Option at Tight End

Colorado has used tight ends as receivers under coach Deion Sanders before. Former Colorado tight end Michael Harrison caught 31 passes with five touchdowns in 2023, and Buffaloes tight end Zach Atkins made 20 catches last year. Williams’ rise feels different because no one entered Week 1 expecting his name to lead a national tight end grading list.

Marion’s offense gives the position room to matter without demanding a heavy target load. A tight end can help in the run game, stay quiet in the box score, and still become the solution when a defense commits elsewhere.

Weber State visits Folson Field on Sept 12, so Williams now gets the tougher side of any surprise performance grading (doing something with the attention that follows it). After all said and done, the catches introduced him, while a 95.1 grade made sure that every one of us took note of him.

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