2022 WR Gentry Williams Intrigued by What Florida Gators Are Offering

During his official visit with the Florida Gators this weekend, Gentry Williams learned more about the offensive weapon the Gators would like to turn him into, something he finds to be intriguing moving forward.

On the first weekend of the open recruiting period, the Florida Gators hosted a number of the nation’s top high school talents with the hopes of making lasting impressions to secure their commitments in the future.

Of the distant travelers on the weekend, Tulsa (Okla.) athlete Gentry Williams made his way to Gainesville to scope out the campus and a program he has shown intrigue for throughout his recruitment.

“It was everything I expected it to be. Starting from the whole staff with coach Mullen, coach McGee, coach Gonzales. I’m really glad I came.”

Being recruited as a wide receiver by Florida — despite being a defensive back in the eyes of schools like Oklahoma, LSU and USC — Williams noted his indifference on which position he wants to play in college and the conversations he had with Gators head coach about the issue.

“That was the kind of thing me and coach Mullen just talked about. First, they see me as a receiver, but he said sometimes he can be wrong, so he’s open to having me play defensive back if that’s a strong suit for me, but he sees me as being dynamic with the ball in my hand."

While some could be turned off by the prospect of playing offense instead of defense, that's not a problem for Williams when it comes to Florida.

“In an offense like this, nah,” Williams said candidly when asked if playing offensively was a turnoff.

With the home run hitting ability that Williams provides, the Gators showed him how they plan to maximize his talents if he chooses Florida over the weekend, which he found impressive.

“Just finding the different ways they can get the ball to their athletes was pretty impressive. They hit on all the points where it’s finding ways to get me the ball. If it’s catching the ball, if it’s running the ball, if it’s kickoffs, punt returns, just finding different ways.” Williams said.

“Almost like Kadarius Toney, just finding matchups where you can be successful.”

Accounting for 17.2 yards per receptions and eight total touchdowns on the season for Booker T., what Williams shows from a speed and agility standpoint allows him to fit into the role that Toney assumed throughout his career in orange and blue.

Having that blueprint both on paper and on film aids his understanding of how he would present an enticing contribution to the Gators offense.

“They’re just able to show me the play where they would get Kadarius the ball. They was able to show me the film of it and then show me how many catches he had, so they had facts for everything they showed me today.”

As a result of the Gators' unique pursuit of the playmaker, Williams grew close to offensive talent during his weekend on campus, namely current 2022 Gators commits Nick Evers and Isaiah Bond.

“Highlights for me was just being able to be around some of the commits, Isaiah [and] Nick. Just being around some of the players on the team to get a vibe for how it really it is here on campus. Just really being here was a highlight.”

Sharing more about the relationship he developed with Evers, Williams felt the wide receiver-quarterback dynamic come to life, enjoying the interactions the two had.

“Nick is a good dude. I really liked and enjoyed talking to him. Just talking to him and seeing his plans of being at Florida, he seems like he’s locked in this is where he’s going to be. So that pretty good.”

Traveling from the midwest’s Booker T. Washington, familiarity — like in many instances — can be a comforting sight for kids think about leaving home to embark on new journeys.

For Williams, his friendly face comes in the form of Gators quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee, who is from the same area.

“Same old Garrick. Same old coach McGee. Cool dude, dog. I’m glad that I have a connection like that to be here being so far away from home. It makes me feel like I’m still in Tulsa.”

Still have considerable steps to take towards a decision, Williams has strayed away from eyeing an end-of-summer date to shut things down. With visits to Oklahoma and USC on the horizon — and more to likely come during college football’s regular season — Williams begins to nitpick for which school fits him best.

However, if one thing is certain, the Gators will remain in his mind until the end, given the unique opportunity they offer.