Charlie Williams didn’t need a huge stat line to become one of the most talked-about tight ends from Week 1. Two catches were enough for Colorado’s fourth-year tight end to leave Atlanta with the top Pro Football Network grade at his position, a 95.1 that turned a quiet box score into a much bigger story.
That number matters because of where Williams started. He came into the opener with no college receptions and only 20 documented special teams snaps from Colorado’s 2025 debut against Arizona State. By the time the Buffaloes left Georgia Tech’s 20-yard line with 42 seconds left and no timeouts, Williams had already changed the game once and was about to do it again.
His first grab came on Colorado’s opening possession and went for eight yards. The second was the one that mattered most: a touchdown on a sideline route against man coverage, with Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis putting the ball where only his tight end could finish it.
“It looked like they were in man. We saw man.
He tried to hold onto the tight end,” Lewis said. “Coach Marion beat them with the play; I beat them with the ball.
It’s just how ball works. Charlie made a great catch, touchdown.”
That finish gave Williams two receptions for 28 yards and six points, but PFN’s grading suggests the night was about more than just the score. The outlet’s tight end model weighs blocking as well as receiving, which helps explain how Williams could land ahead of players with bigger catch totals. California’s Mason Mini checked in second at 94.9, followed by Memphis’ Hunter Tipton at 94.7.
Williams’ path to this moment has been a long one. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end grew up in Aspen, finished high school at IMG Academy in Florida, signed with UNLV in 2023, redshirted there without playing, and then transferred back home to Colorado before the 2024 season. He did not see game action that year, and Colorado didn’t really turn to him until the last two games of 2025, when his first major college snaps came on kickoff and kickoff return against Arizona State.
That backdrop makes Thursday night stand out even more. Colorado offensive coordinator Brennan Marion already knew Williams from their UNLV connection, since Marion ran that offense in 2023 when Williams redshirted. Three years later, that familiarity showed up in a critical spot with the game hanging in the balance.
Williams did have one blemish. He was flagged for holding in the third quarter on a Micah Welch run, which pushed Colorado back. But that didn’t erase the larger point: he helped in more than one phase, and PFN clearly noticed.
Colorado has gotten production from the tight end spot before. Michael Harrison caught 31 passes with five touchdowns in 2023, and Zach Atkins finished with 20 catches last year. Williams’ rise feels different because nobody expected him to be sitting atop a national Week 1 tight end list after barely touching the offense before Atlanta.
That’s the real takeaway here. The catches got him in the conversation.
The grade made sure everyone paid attention. Weber State visits Folsom Field on Sept. 12, and now Williams has a new challenge: backing up the surprise with something just as real when the spotlight comes back.
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