40 in 40: Former Ole Miss receiver looks to make an impact in Starkville

From Oxford to Starkville, WR Ayden Williams is ready for a fresh start with Mississippi State in 2025.

Mississippi State Wide Receiver Ayden Williams (#11) during Spring Game at the Davis Wade Stadium at Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

Once the season is over, Ayden Williams will be able to offer a unique perspective.

This time last season, Williams was in Oxford catching passes from Jaxson Dart. Now, he’s in Starkville catching passes from Blake Shapen.

Williams gets to see what one of college football’s oldest rivalries looks like from both sides after transferring from Ole Miss to Mississippi State in the offseason. He joins a wide receiver group that has just three returning players, but is already receiving high praise from coaches and teammates.

That includes Williams, who is our latest addition to the 40 Most Important Bulldogs in 2025.

Who is Ayden Williams?

A native of the Magnolia State, Williams was a consensus four-star prospect by the major recruiting services at Ridgeland High School. He was a 2022 Under Armour All-American and ranked as the No. 2 recruit in Mississippi and No. 8 receiver in the nation. As a senior he had more than 1,200 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.

Williams signed with Ole Miss over offers from nearly every major program in the nation, including Georgia, Oregon and LSU. Part of his recruitment to Ole Miss was done by Mississippi State’s current head coach Jeff Lebby when he was the Rebels’ offensive coordinator.

In his true freshman season in Oxford, Williams made one start and played in 11 games, most of which was on offense. He ended the season with four receptions for 80 yards.

What happened in 2024?

Ole Miss had some injuries at wide receiver that should’ve led to more playing time for Williams, but that didn’t happen. He played in eight games and started one game against Furman in the season-opener. He made three catches for 39 yards all season.

With the offense the Rebels ran, the first-round NFL quarterback and injuries at the position, the lack of playing time made it easy to decide to enter the transfer portal.

Williams received interest from several schools once he entered the transfer portal, but the previous relationship with Lebby made his choice easy.

Why will he be important in 2025?

.@aydenwilliams74 👀 #HailState pic.twitter.com/9DM906ZFAT

— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) August 7, 2025

Williams isn’t projected to be one of the three official starting wide receivers when the first depth chart of the season is released next week. But he’ll be in the rotation of receivers that gets significant playing time.

Lebby’s offense is a fast-paced one that takes shots down the field (or at least that’s what they want to do, reality got in the way last season, though) and that requires having receivers with fresh legs. Receivers will need a play or two to catch their breath.

So, the Bulldogs need key contributors behind the starters. Williams has the talent to be one of those contributors. His size (he’s listed at 6-foot-3, 205 lbs.) is also a good compliment to some of the smaller receivers on the roster.

Another reason Williams is important is if he’s successful in Starkville and he wasn’t in Oxford, wouldn’t that be a recruiting win for Mississippi State?