Texas' Malcolm Williams: Old Hype or New Hope?

At 6'3" 230 lbs with a 4.5-second 40 yard dash, Malcolm Williams appears to have all the tools necessary to be the Next Big Thing in the Texas receiving corps.   The only question is:  Will a wide receiver who's shown flashes of greatness with lapses in consistency finally mature, or will he continue to sputter? 

The reasons to vote for Williams in 2010 come from both his upside and his big-play ability.  In a losing effort against Texas Tech in '08, he had four receptions for 182 yards and two scores.  The only problem with that is those were two of his 3 TD catches that season, and in the next four games, he caught a mere five passes. 

In 2009, with expectations high, the sophomore receiver managed to accrue an unimpressive 8 catches by midseason.  The good news during that stretch:  At least half of those receptions gained 10 or more yards. 

Malcolm Williams appeared to be coming on at the end of the regular season, as he amassed 27 catches for a total of 390 yards.  The lone blemish on that statistic:  A goose egg game against Baylor and a meager 2 visits to the endzone. 

To be fair, a short passing game became a painful mainstay in last year's offense(Oh, the many times Longhorn fans yelled "Please, not another screen pass!").  And if anything, #9 will most likely thrive in a 2010 offense which seems to be focused on running out of single back sets in order to setup downfield passes.  

But the production of the now veteran receiver isn't his only weakness.   Williams had less-than-stellar performances at some of the most crucial points in the season in '09:  against Tech, OU, Nebraska, and Alabama, he virtually disappeared off the football field.  And let's not forget the pass which bounced off his hands in the second quarter of the National Championship Game, which would have not only given Texas some momentum, but could have pulled Texas within a point of the Crimson Tide. 

But if football is a business, the Bottom Line is point production.  If the Longhorn running game is good enough to cause opposing defenses to inch a little closer to the line of scrimmage, a lot of chances should open up in the vertical passing game. 

What does this mean for the redshirt junior from Garland, TX?  That Malcolm Williams needs to find himself in the endzone more.  Nothing would help take the pressure off Garrett Gilbert like scoring points that will give the offense some breathing room and not ask the defense to shoulder the entire burden of winning games. 

Williams should come back bigger and stronger in 2010, and this is his 4th year in the program.  He has the best combination of talent and experience available among UT's current wide receivers, and he should be more of a focal point in the offense.  Time will tell whether or not he steps into the leadership role of a 2nd-year starter, but my guess is that he will.  His inconsistency seems to be a problem of maturity, and often players at skill positions don't pull it all together until their junior or senior campaigns. 

My guess is that his reception numbers won't skyrocket, but he'll make more big plays and increase his touchdown totals significantly.  Though he may have shown his youth in '09, Malcolm Williams more than doubled his catches, and gained invaluable experience.  Now he'll be expected to take control, and I think he's going to do just that.