Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 62-13vs UL Monroe | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 | Season-high 9 yds |
| Wk 3 | W 41-34@ South Carolina | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | |
| Total | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 0 | 9 |
#18
Riley Williams
Junior tight end for Mississippi State. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′5″ · 250 lb · Portland, OR · IMG Academy (Oregon State)
Transferred Oregon State → Mississippi State for 2026
The numbers
16
receiving yards · 2026 · through week 3
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 rec, 7 yds, at South Carolina
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior tight end for Mississippi State. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Miami in 2022.
- Transferred from Oregon State to Mississippi State in 2026.
Riley Williams
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment. Across four seasons and three programs, three head coaches: Mario Cristobal, Trent Bray and Jeff Lebby. One game to point at: 9 rec yds, 1 receptions against UL Monroe — Week 1, 2026.
16 REC YDS · 2 REC · 0 REC TD
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2022
- Signed with Miami4-star out of Evans
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023
Greg Knox
Mississippi State
Coaching transition mid-career: Greg Knox → Jeff Lebby. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Mississippi State
2025Oregon State
2026Mississippi State
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mississippi State | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Oregon State | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | Miami | 7 | 115 | 16.4 | 0 | -- |
| 2023 | Miami | 8 | 72 | 9.0 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 18 | 218 | 12.1 | 1 | -- |
Game log
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 41–34
1 rec · 7 yds
Edged out South Carolina on the road in a shootout.
With K. Taylor — 251 yds · 4 TD · 1 INT · QBR 87.9 · 33 rush yds (8 car) · F. Bothwell — 115 rush yds (21 car)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +7 receiving yards, +1 catch.
Season context · Team result + system
2023Miami7-6HC: Mario Cristobal · Balanced
2024Miami10-3HC: Mario Cristobal · Balanced
2025Oregon State2-10HC: Trent Bray · Balanced
2026Mississippi State3-0HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning
Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort
Box-score percentiles
Concern: rec yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (5)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 1.0 REC/g, 8.0 YDS/g, 8.0 YPR, 0.0 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Lebby
Pass share
44.6%
91 pass / 113 run
Plays / game
68.0
3 games
Team sack rate
4.8%
105 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Complete TE
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
TE
His 2023 production profile sits closest to Zaire Mitchell-Paden’s 2021 season.
73%match
Matches Zaire on
TD rate
Yards / reception
EPA / play (adj)
Differs from Zaire on
Class year (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Zaire Mitchell-Paden's freshman season at Florida Atlantic (2021).
87%match
Matches Zaire on
Total EPA (college ability)
TD rate
Yards / reception
Differs from Zaire on
Class year (lower)
Background
Career Notes Has played in 23 career games with 1 start. Before Mississippi State (2023-25) Attended Oregon State for the 2025 season, playing two games while earning a redshirt … Before arriving in Corvalis, Williams spent his first two seasons with the Miami Hurricanes playing in 21 games ……
The tight end room · Mississippi State
- #87Sam West41 receiving yards · 2025
- #18Riley Williams15 receiving yards · 2025
- #84Adam Landno box-score line yet
- #88Joeseph Skipworthno box-score line yet
- #85Luke Hutchinsonno box-score line yet
1 more on the roster · Mississippi State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology