Williams Ready For 2016 Reese's Senior Bowl
January 28, 2016 | Football
Reese's Senior Bowl Official Site | Williams Bio
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Former East Carolina tight end Bryce Williams, a three-time all-conference selection who helped the Pirates rewrite the school's offensive record books, hopes to make another favorable impression on National Football League coaches and scouts Saturday during the 2016 Reese's Senior Bowl.
Kickoff for the 67th annual rendition of the premier showcase event is set for 2:30 p.m. (ET) at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. The contest will be televised nationally by the NFL Network.
Williams will wear his customary No. 80 while suiting up for the North squad, which is being led by fifth-year Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett. Quarterbacks for the North include USC's Cody Kessler, North Dakota State's Carson Wentz and Louisiana Tech's Jeff Driskel, who was recently tutored by newly-appointed ECU offensive coordinator Tony Petersen.
East Carolina has sent eight players to the prestigious game in the last nine years with WR Aundrae Allison (2007), RB Chris Johnson (2008), P Matt Dodge (2010), DE C.J. Wilson (2010), WR/RS Dwayne Harris (2011), QB Shane Carden (2015), WR Justin Hardy (2015) and Williams all representing the Pirates. Overall, Williams is the 18th player in ECU history to be selected for the Senior Bowl.
Williams, who started all 12 games in 2015, caught 58 passes for 588 yards and four touchdowns to earn First-Team All-American Athletic Conference honors. The 58 receptions marked a single-season program record for a tight end, surpassing Luke Fisher's total of 48 set in 1991. He produced multiple catches in every game with a career-high nine at Florida for 83 yards. Four weeks later at BYU, Williams established a personal-best with 87 reception yards on five grabs.
The John Mackey Award candidate completed his 38-game career with 96 catches for 1,045 yards and 13 scores, which also eclipsed a positional record that had stood for 24 years. Forty-three (43) of his 96 receptions went for 10 or more yards with a career-long of 56 against USF on Nov. 7, 2015. Williams also earned All-AAC (second-team) accolades as a junior in 2014 after being chosen to the All-Conference USA unit in 2013.
DATE: Saturday, January 30, 2016
TIME: 2:30 p.m. (ET)
WHERE: Mobile, Alabama
STADIUM: Ladd-Peebles Stadium (38,888)
TELEVISION: NFL Network
