Macon’s Shakenneth Williams looking to crack Georgia’s receiver rotation

ATHENS -- It’s rare for Shakenneth Williams to drop a pass in practice.

His hands as a receiver are his best attributes. Being able to secure the ball routinely is the most important trait a receiver can have. Therefore, it’s just not a common thing for Williams to let a ball slip between his hands and the number on his jersey when a pass is thrown his way.

“If he drops something, it’s breathtaking, really,” junior receiver Reggie Davis said.

Williams, a sophomore product of Rutland, is hoping to use that particular skill set to his advantage in his attempt to crack the rotation at receiver, which is expected to go pretty deep. Receivers have been rotating in and out during practice, and competition for the back end of the group remains open.

“Like (receivers coach Bryan McClendon) said, there are no saved spots,” Williams said. “Everybody’s competing every day. Just got to show that you’re out there, you’re paying attention, you’re getting the playbook, making the plays. Then you’ll be one of the eight, nine guys.”

Williams appears to be in the group of those looking to work behind the top five, which have been Davis, senior Malcolm Mitchell, sophomore Isaiah McKenzie, freshman Terry Godwin and freshman Michael Chigbu. Williams has seen some reps as the sixth and seventh receiver and was the fourth receiver to go through drills earlier this week.

Williams’ high school head coach at Rutland, George Collins, said he wouldn’t be surprised to see his former pupil make a leap this season.

“As a returning guy that played some last year helps,” Collins said. “There’s no doubt that I expect him to make a big impact this year.”

The Bulldogs are expected to run their offense at a high tempo once again, potentially at a faster pace than they did a season ago. This calls for a large number of receivers to be available to keep bodies fresh through four quarters.

Williams is working toward a bigger role, especially with former Georgia receivers Chris Conley and Michael Bennett using up their eligibility. While Williams got some game experience last year, he only saw a ton of action in games against Troy and Charleston Southern. In those games he combined for three catches and 61 yards.

With new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and a new position coach in McClendon, Williams said an opportunity is in front of him if he hones in on the finer parts of his game.

“Really just pay attention, make sure you get everything down that (McClendon) says in meetings,” Williams said. “And just play hard when you’re out there at practice. If you give 100 percent effort you’re good.”

Collins described Williams as a coachable athlete who is always open for instruction. During his recruitment, Williams held SEC offers from Mississippi, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Vanderbilt to go along with the Georgia one. Vanderbilt was the first to offer Williams before the other programs came calling.

Being from Macon naturally made Williams a Georgia fan. So when the Bulldogs offered, it was hard to turn them down.

This past spring, Williams sustained a hamstring injury, which slowed him a bit in his development with Schottenheimer’s system. Once he recovered, Williams returned to Rutland to work out and get in shape for preseason practice.

Collins was impressed with what he saw out of Williams, which has him believing his former player can be one of the surprise players in this year’s receiving corps.

“I saw him after the injury, working out here, worked good. He has some of the strongest hands I’ve seen,” Collins said. “The way he catches the ball with his hands. He’s so strong with his hands.”

This story was originally published August 25, 2015 at 9:32 PM with the headline "Macon’s Shakenneth Williams looking to crack Georgia’s receiver rotation."