Hykeem Williams was one of the top prospects in the country during the 2023 recruiting cycle. He was a consensus 5-star recruit, ranked by the 247 composite as the No. 3 WR and No. 30 overall player in the country.
Williams signed with home-state Florida State out of high school, but in two seasons in Tallahassee, he couldn't live up to the superstar hype. Following the disastrous 2-10 campaign for the Seminoles in 2024, Williams entered the Transfer Portal and found his way to Boulder to play for Coach Prime at Colorado.
In two years at Florida State, Williams caught 21 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. His most prolific game came in a loss to Clemson last season, where he caught four passes for 53 yards. He scored his first and only collegiate touchdown when FSU beat Charleston Southern last November.
For whatever reason, things didn't work out for Williams in Tallahassee. He came to Colorado in hopes of salvaging his college career and getting back on the radar of NFL teams. The talent is there, but his development seemed to stagnate with Mike Norvell and his staff. That's a fact he believes has been remedied in Boulder with the Buffaloes' staff that features a ton of NFL experience:
Former FSU WR Hykeem Williams shares biggest difference between Colorado and FSU.
— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) August 20, 2025
"More development. More, more, more development.
There were guys that have been there at Florida State but here it's just on another level.”pic.twitter.com/fMBWxIaUpZ
Hykeem Williams' praise of Colorado comes off as shade toward Florida State
Of course, Williams praising Colorado's development can also be taken as him throwing shade at Florida State. That's just the nature of comments like that. There's certainly some truth to what he's saying about the lack of development with the Seminoles. Florida State was a complete dumpster fire last season, and that roster was not devoid of talent by any means.
So if the roster wasn't devoid of talent, but the team went 2-10 anyway, it points to the problem being with the coaching staff. Florida State fans were angry with Williams' comments, and while development is always a two-way street, there's plenty of truth in his words.
How much truth will depend on where his career goes from here. As things currently stand, Williams is competing for playing time in a crowded WR room on a team that is likely to be a lot more run-heavy than they have been in the past couple of seasons.
According to depth chart projections, Williams is listed as a 2nd team WR for Colorado. Omarion Miller and Dre'lon Miller seem to be entrenched as starting wide receivers for Deion Sanders this season. The third spot likely comes down to transfers Sincere Brown (FCS Campbell) and Williams. Most believe Brown, who was insanely productive at the FCS level last season, has a slight leg up on Williams, though both will see plenty of playing time.
If Williams can live up to his 5-star hype, it's only a matter of time before he becomes a major focal point for the Colorado offense.