Elyiss Williams keeps giving Georgia exactly the kind of problems defenses hate.
At 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds, the sophomore tight end showed his value again Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, when Georgia was protecting a 20-17 lead and needed one more play to stay on schedule. On third-and-7 from the Bulldogs’ 10, Williams hauled in a 17-yard catch in traffic along the right side, moving Georgia to its own 27 with 2:38 left and helping close out the win over Alabama.
That play came on a timing route, with Gunner Stockton releasing the ball before Williams had even turned around.
"Saw a little window to be able to throw it in there, and definitely Elyiss, he made a great catch to come down with that. That was pretty special," Stockton told reporters postgame.
It was the latest reminder that Williams is becoming one of the most difficult matchups in Georgia’s offense. He brings the kind of size, athleticism and force that can tilt a game in more than one way, and the Bulldogs are using all of it.
He’s not just a pass catcher. He’s been part of the run game, too, working as a blocker and giving Georgia another physical edge.
Heading into Saturday’s game against Auburn at Sanford Stadium, Williams had seven catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns. That production already includes a season opener against Tennessee State in which he had two receptions for 36 yards, highlighted by a 17-yard touchdown in the first quarter of a 63-3 win. He was one of 11 Georgia players to catch at least one pass that night, and his work alongside fellow tight end Jaden Reddell drew plenty of attention afterward.
Both players are built to punish defenses in different ways, and Reddell said the tight end room benefits from that variety.
"I think we both have our unique skill sets," Reddell said last month, "which I think it's really good in our tight end room to have unique skill sets. We all play off each other and are able to help each other in other ways."
Reddell was just as direct when describing Williams.
"He's a really hard guy to tackle. He's huge, so he's a threat in the offense, in the run game, pass game, all over."
Georgia has seen this movie before. The program has rolled out an impressive line of tight ends in recent years, including Brock Bowers, Oscar Delp, Darnell Washington, Charlie Woerner, John FitzPatrick and Ben Yurosek, and all of them are on NFL rosters or practice squads.
Bowers remains the standard bearer. During his three seasons in Athens from 2021-23, he caught 175 passes for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Now in his third season with the Las Vegas Raiders, Bowers has 200 career catches for 2,186 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Williams is not Bowers, and Georgia doesn’t need him to be. What he does bring is his own kind of damage: size, strength, and a reliable target who can finish plays in the middle of the field and help the Bulldogs in the trenches.
That all makes sense when you hear where it started. Williams said the game was part of life in the backyard with his brothers.
"My brothers and I used to always play football in the backyard," he said. "We'd all throw our pads on and just go out there and play all day."
Basketball was part of that childhood, too. He said he was the big kid in class growing up, dunked for the first time in seventh grade and believes the sport helped sharpen his footwork and movement on the football field.
"I played basketball my whole life, so running up and down the court, it was nothing to me. I'd definitely say the footwork in basketball has helped me, being soft on my feet," he said.
"It was always going to be football for sure for me, but I really just enjoyed basketball. My friends played it, and that definitely kept me active during the offseason."
Six games into his sophomore season, Williams has already matched last season’s reception total. And if Saturday was any indication, Georgia is just starting to figure out how much he can do.
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Georgia Heads Into Auburn With New Injury Concerns In Key Spots
Georgia heads to Auburn with the kind of injury report that can shape a rivalry game before the first snap. The Bulldogs have some familiar names on the list, with All-American defensive back KJ Bolden marked questionable and tailback Chauncey Bowens and receiver Isiah Canion also among the players whose availability is in question or already ruled out. Offensive lineman Marcus Harrison getting upgraded to probable is a small bit of good news, but it comes against a backdrop of a roster still dealing with some uncertainty in key spots.
Auburn has its own issues, including linebacker Xavier Atkins being out and several other players unavailable, so both sides are heading into the matchup managing more than just the opponent across the line of scrimmage. For Georgia, the bigger concern is how much depth it will have at a few important positions if Bolden cannot go, especially with the game carrying the usual SEC stakes and the added tension that comes with playing on the road. [Read more 🡒]
Gunner Stockton Keeps Giving Georgia Exactly What National Media Misses
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What stands out most is how often Stockton shows up in the moments that can swing a game, giving Georgia a calm presence when the pressure rises. His value has less to do with headlines than with the way he helps the Bulldogs function at a high level week after week, even if his work is easy to overlook from afar. For Georgia, though, that quiet reliability has become one of the biggest reasons the offense keeps finding its footing. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart's Georgia Edge Is Sparking A Debate Bulldogs Fans Know Well
Georgia football has long treated the pregame speech as more than just a formality, and the contrast between Mark Richt and Kirby Smart has become part of the programs modern identity. The article looks back at how both coaches tried to flip the switch before kickoff, using different styles to get players locked in mentally and physically while also feeding the intensity that comes with playing in Athens.
Smarts edge has kept that old debate alive among Bulldogs fans, because his approach reflects the hard-charging standard Georgia has built under him. The piece also nods to the way those moments have been remembered and reacted to publicly over time, which is why the subject still has a way of stirring conversation whenever the Bulldogs head into a big game. [Read more 🡒]