Hykeem Williams, Travis Hunter clash over Early Signing Day comments
Florida State officially signed five-star wide receiver Hykeem Williams on Wednesday afternoon. Williams was the first five-star prospect to ink with the Seminoles under head coach Mike Norvell and the highest-ranked receiver to come in since 2015.
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Despite late pushes from Colorado, Texas A&M, and Miami, there was no drama with Williams' ceremony during the Early Signing Period. Decked out in custom Florida State gear alongside his family, high school coaches, and supporters, he made things official with the 'Noles despite sending in his actual signing papers hours earlier.
It was a far cry from the scenario that Florida State's coaching staff dealt with just over a year ago when the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class, Travis Hunter, flipped to Jackson State in a moment that shocked the country.
While taking in the moment after the conclusion of his high school recruitment, Williams put out a statement that made him instantly beloved by Seminole fans as he responded to a comment on his Instagram Live.
"Go 'Noles, Baby! Ain't no Travis Hunter over here," Williams proclaimed live to hundreds of fans. "We locked in, time to work."
The message clearly struck a nerve with the former Florida State commitment, who signed with Jackson State before announcing his decision to transfer to Colorado on Wednesday night.
Hunter responded to Williams on Thursday afternoon, "could never be me."
It's worth noting that Hunter was committed to Florida State for over a year and half before he 'shocked the world' by flipping to Deion Sanders and the Tigers. During the course of his pledge to the Seminoles, he talked a big game about how he was coming to Tallahassee to turn the program around.
Just check out this quote from Hunter that came less than three weeks before he turned heel.
"I'm fixing to go in and rebuild the program like Deion Sanders did when he played there," Hunter said. "I want to go make a statement and show everybody that I can go anywhere and play any opponent. Something I've always wanted to do is play for Florida State."
In the end, those words turned out to be a load of nonsense.
That was seemingly Williams' point from the beginning as he tossed another barb directly at Hunter.
"You right. I'm solid."
There's no doubt that Williams showed his loyalty to Florida State since making his original commitment in September. He only took one trip to nearby Miami outside of viewing the Seminoles three times in Doak Campbell Stadium. Williams also publicly recruited for the program as he vocally pushed for five-star running back Cedric Baxter Jr. and played a factor in three-star athlete Edwin Joseph signing with FSU.
Travis Hunter is correct.
Hykeem Williams could never be like him.
Williams stuck with the people who were loyal to him and followed through with his dream while Hunter's motives were clearly focused on something else.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound wide receiver will arrive at Florida State to enroll in January. That means he'll have the opportunity to participate in the Tour of Duty, spring practice, and summer conditioning leading up to his first season at the college level.
The Seminoles are returning a fair amount of depth on the outside in 2023 but Williams may end up being too talented to keep off the field. He has the potential to develop into a special offensive weapon in Tallahassee.
Williams recently released custom merchandise to celebrate his signing with Florida State. Check it out HERE.
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