WR Austin Williams Named to SEC Community Service Team
Austin Williams is a talented player on the field for Mississippi State, but the wide receiver has achieved just as much off the field through the way he has contributed to the community.
Williams was named to the SEC Community Service Team as the Bulldogs' representative this week. He joins one player from each of the other SEC universities on a team that is full of men who have gone out of their way to serve others around them.
During his time in Maroon and White, Williams has gone above and beyond to help those in the Starkville community as well as in other parts of the world. He is a member of two scholar-athlete clubs-- the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which serves as a representative voice for all athletes at MSU, and a scholar-athlete service organization known as the M-Club. Most of Williams' service revolves around helping children. He has made visits to Batson Children's Hospital and Palmer Home for Children, as well as reading to students at Emerson Family School and volunteering through Faithworks at a local Vacation Bible School. Williams has even served on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic through Pinelake Church. Aside from being named to the SEC Community Service Team, Williams was recognized as a 2021 semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy, which honors college football's best community service leader.
As an athlete, Williams has had an outstanding season as a wide receiver for the Bulldogs. He has seen playing time in every game since 2018 but has steadily improved throughout the years, with 2021 being the peak of his performance. Williams finished the 2021 regular season with 543 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 47 receptions, and he has also added 20 yards off of punt returns on the ground. His most impressive game of the season came against Tennessee State on Nov. 20-- Williams scored three touchdowns on three receptions in the first half of the game. He also had a season-high in total receiving yards with 75 in that contest alone.
Williams has another year of eligibility left, and has made clear he plans to come back for another year. His return would benefit the team greatly: they would have a veteran athlete and outstanding member of the community come back to take the team to new heights.
