Despite growing up just a few minutes away in the South Side, Taz Williams Jr. never had the chance to visit inside the Pitt football facility before he moved away from Pittsburgh.
Eleven years ago, Williams Jr. and his father moved to Texas where he now lives in Dallas.
On a return trip to the Steel City to train with 2Tenths Speed & Agility and to visit his mother and brother, who reside in Green Tree, Williams Jr. set up an impromptu visit to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
For Pitt, the meeting with Williams Jr. holds some serious weight as the Red Oak High School product is one of the most sought-after wide receivers in the Class of 2025 with over 50 offers and earning a four-star rating inside the ESPN 300 and Rivals 250.
According to Rivals, he’s the 128th prospect and 23rd receiver in the class with a 5.9 rating.
The visit sparked memories for Williams Jr. when he used to attend some games before moving. He specifically recalled watching future NFL running back James Conner run through ACC defenses.
“I’ve been to a couple of Pitt games,” Williams Jr. told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “That’s when James Conner was here. I liked to watch him.”
While Williams Jr. toured the facility, Pitt made sure to share more of its history, specifically relating to his position on the field. The Panthers showed off their previous Biletnikoff Award winners of Jordan Addison (2021), Larry Fitzgerald (2003) and Antonio Bryant (2000).
“It’s big because I didn’t know that until the other day,” Williams Jr. said about Pitt’s Biletnikoff winners. “I didn’t know they had three Biletnikoff wide receivers there. It’s big for a receiver.”
Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi made it known that Williams Jr. could return home and see time as a freshman, where at other schools, that might not happen.
“With my skill set, I could come in and compete for a starting job my freshman year. They were saying, I could be the next Jordan Addison,” Williams Jr. said.
Williams Jr. held lengthy conversations with Narduzzi, offensive coordinator Kade Bell and other throughout his visit.
The 6-foot, 181-pound receiver said that he “really enjoyed” practice and had the opportunity to watch Bell’s offense in action while on the South Side.
“I liked the way the offense has a lot of different ways to get their guys the ball. Also, how they motion a lot to create mismatches,” Williams Jr. said.
Williams Jr. has all the tools to be an elite college wide receiver and he feels he can fit into any offense as he compares his game to that of Stephon Diggs’.
“My route running can create separation and that burst in and out of breaks and mainly getting open is my thing. You’re not going to catch me. Anytime the ball thrown my way, it’s going to get caught,” he said
Even with the recent visit to Pitt, Williams Jr. still has the Panthers well on the outside with the Panthers not really on his radar until now.
“I didn’t hear from them much previously. [Tuesday] was really the first day that I heard from them. It’s a school I’m going to keep my eye open and see in the future how things play out from here,” he said.
He released his top 10 schools back in Feb. that included, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State, Texas A&M, Baylor, SMU, Penn State and Georgia Tech.
He has official visits set up with SMU (May 10-12), Ohio State (May 31-June 2), Texas A&M (June 6-8), Alabama (June 14) and Michigan (June 21-23).
More must-reads: