Utah transfer WR Zacharyus Williams commits to USC

Utah's Kyle Whittingham called rising sophomore receiver Zacharyus Williams "wide receiver one" in Salt Lake City earlier this month. Saturday, the Gardena-Serra alum announced his commitment to USC.

The Trojans helped bolster their receiver group by adding the 6-foot-2, 196-pound Carson native who caught 10 passes for 101 yards across 10 games as a freshman in 2024.

Williams, who was a four-star prospect with offers from across the country, was on USC's radar up until he signed with the Utes so there is familiarity with the local school.

The rising sophomore shined late in the season in a road game against UCF where Williams had 6 catches for 72 yards plus 11 yards rushing.

That performance was a glimpse into Williams' potential as both a pass catcher and runner. Both elements were things Whittingham highlighted when speaking about Williams earlier this month during spring ball as the California native continued to make his case as the most consistent receiver for the Utes.

“That’s one of his main attributes is after the catch, he can make some people miss and get some that YAC yardage, run after catch yardage. He’s also very good on the jet sweeps," the Utah head coach told reporters.

Williams entered the portal earlier this week and was quick to make a decision with a move back home to Los Angeles being the likely scenario. UCLA had been a major factor in his recruitment early on as a high school prospect had been involved when he entered the portal.

Instead, he will head across town to USC where he will join a group that has high level talent but also a need for more for Lincoln Riley's team.

Ja'Kobi Lane will head into the fall as the alpha dog on the outside as he returns for his junior season with the Trojans while newcomer and Boise State transfer Prince Strachan should also be one of the contributors at the position.

Freshman Corey Simms arrived early to go through spring practice with USC and will be one of the young newcomers for the Trojans this season. Williams fits somewhere in the middle having been able to get his feet wet with the Utes last season but will head to USC with three seasons of remaining eligibility.

The Trojans have now added three players from the transfer portal during the spring period, but Williams is the first on the offensive side of the ball following the additions of Notre Dame safety Kennedy Urlacher and Penn State linebacker Ta'Mere Robinson.