Goal No. 1: COMMITMENT. To common goals and to being successful.
Redshirt Sophomore* | 6-0 | 195 lbs. (+4) | Tampa, Florida
Izaiah Williams | Courtesy Kansas State Athletics
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Previous College: Texas A&M University
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Remaining Eligibility: 3 years
Izaiah Williams (b. Oct. 3, 2005) is a wide receiver transfer who followed Collin Klein from Texas A&M who is majoring in integrative human sciences. He elected to transfer to K-State fairly quickly after Klein’s hiring:
I didn’t want to leave (Texas A&M). They told me it was in my best interest to look elsewhere. I’m in my junior year, and time is ticking on my eligibility. If I wanted to produce, I’d have to go elsewhere. That really made my decision on leaving.
Right when I entered the portal, Coach Klein reached out. He said that he’d love for me to take a visit and that there was a chance for me to compete at K-State. He said that he believes in me and knows what I’m capable of doing, and he encouraged me to take a chance and go to K-State and see the relationships I could build here.
I’m excited about Avery (Johnson). He is the best quarterback in the nation with the way he can throw the ball and extend plays with his legs. He’s a stud, and I’m looking forward to catching balls from him.
Klein had this to say about the wide receiver he’s most familiar with during his first fall press conference:
Izaiah Williams has been very consistent and had some plays (in fall camp).
And previously as Texas A&M offensive coordinator, Klein had this to say about Williams’ improvement:
Izaiah Williams, I could say basically the same thing about how he’s developed and gotten stronger and is playing a lot stronger here this year than he did last year.
Klein’s old boss at Texas A&M, head coach Mike Elko, had a lot of praise for Williams back when he committed:
… we added Izaiah Williams from Carrollwood Day School in Tampa, Florida, a big time late addition for us. That was a huge one to get. We think he has elite twitch, elite burst, and can really be a day-one impact guy for us at wide receiver, and so really happy that we were able to get that one done.
Here’s what new special teams coordinator Stanton Weber had to say in May about this promising freshman:
It’s a big competition. Izaiah Williams, we’re throwing a lot of them back there, getting a chance to see a lot of them catch kicks and punts. Every day we’re sending them back there. I couldn’t tell you there’s a clear-cut favorite in my mind, but we’re going to find a couple guys who can do it and we’re going to see who wants it the most.
Williams redshirted* but played in three games for Texas A&M in 2024, seeing time on 24 offensive snaps across the McNeese, New Mexico State and USC games, the latter coming in the Las Vegas Bowl.
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He recorded a 15-yard reception against McNeese and a 7-yard catch against New Mexico State.
Williams led the offensive attack for the White team, hauling in four passes for 51 yards and a touchdown, in the 2025 Maroon & White Game in May 2025.
Last season, Williams saw time in 12 games as a reserve receiver, totaling seven receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown over his 99 offensive snaps for the Aggies. He tallied three catches for 50 yards, which included a 27-yard touchdown reception as part of a 27-point second-half comeback victory over South Carolina:
Mario Craver went down, and at halftime they told me to be ready. That’s been my mindset the whole season. I just waited for my time, and my time finally came. They had designed a play for me. We ran the play in practice. I ran the wheel-fade route, and I caught the ball and scored the touchdown. It was a very big moment in my life.
Williams also had four receptions for 14 yards against Samford, a game in which he also returned three punts for seven yards. He brings familiarity, having played both years at Texas A&M when Klein was offensive coordinator:
Coming from A&M, I’m familiar with Coach Klein’s offensive mind, his playbook and style. He knows what I’m capable of. It’s not going to be a shock. I like how versatile Coach Klein’s offense is, and how explosive it is. We can run the ball, pass the ball, throw it short, design plays to get the ball into receivers’ hands. It’s a very versatile offense. I’m looking forward to it.
I’m a versatile playmaker who can line up outside or inside. I’m a great route runner who’s able to get yards after catch, and I attack the ball very well and (have) great ball coordination. I make plays and I’m trying to become a leader for younger players. K-State is going to get a versatile playmaker.
Williams prepped under head coach Marshall McDuffie at Carrollwood Day School in Tampa, Florida, where he was regarded as a top-250 player overall in the Class of 2024 by 247Sports and On3. He also was rated the 38th-best wide receiver in the class by 247Sports and No. 42 by On3.
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A two-way standout who helped the Patriots to earn an 8-2 record and appearance in the regional finals as a senior — when he caught 44 passes for 904 yards and 11 touchdowns, in addition to making 20 tackles, a sack and two interceptions — Williams missed a majority of his junior season due to injury, only making six catches for 146 yards and two scores in five games.
He played at Wiregrass Ranch High School in Wesley Chapel, Florida, as a sophomore, hauling in 34 passes for 524 yards and four touchdowns.
Williams also competed in track as a prep, recording a personal best of 10.94 seconds in the 100-meter dash.
He originally signed with Texas A&M over offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Boston College, Cincinnati, Colorado, FIU, Florida (from which he previously decommitted), Florida State, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas State (where his lead recruiter was his current position coach, Thad Ward), Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, Texas, UCF, West Virginia and Wisconsin. It’s easier to count the SEC teams that didn’t offer.
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Like his teammate Sterling Lockett, Williams has a deep connection to K-State, where his father Melvin played:
My dad was a dawg back in the day. On our visit, K-State showed clips of him. I was like, “Wow.” I’d never seen live footage of him playing. I didn’t know he played like that. It was crazy watching him. My dad said that he loved K-State and didn’t want to go anywhere else.
Being there with my dad at K-State was a full-circle moment.
When I first started playing football, and I knew my dad made it to the NFL, I knew I was destined for it. I’m pretty close to my dad. He’s my guy. I really look up to him, whether it’s football or coaching. I got my work ethic, motivation, and learned manners toward women and life from my dad. He gave me the athletic abilities and the opportunity to be a man all by myself, and not depend on anybody else.
What I’ve learned along the way is to always believe in yourself and to never doubt yourself. Whatever I put my mind to, I can accomplish. You always have this goal in mind, and that’s to make it to the NFL, so you cannot let anybody distract you from that goal.
Melvin Williams lettered at K-State from 1999 through 2002 under Bill Snyder, including his senior season when he earned All-Big 12 Conference honors. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints and also played for the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders**.
Izaiah’s uncle, Turrelle Williams, played linebacker for the Wildcats as well.
*K-State has recently announced a new classification scheme that designates players by their year of eligibility regardless of whether they have “redshirted,” a term that will go out of use with the new “5-for-5” rule. Thus, the KSU SID lists Williams as a true junior even though he barely played in 2024. For the sake of consistency with past posts, I will continue to designate redshirts based on their playing history, but also note their remaining eligibility to stay consistent with the new designations as well.
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**Obviously not their team name back then, but out of respect for the Native tribes who objected to its usage, I will not use that term even in its historical context. Call me “woke” all you want — I really don’t care.
