What Deion Sanders got from the portal in December was no ordinary transfer. The freshman phenom is a speedy, do-it-all weapon who wrapped up a monster season in the AAC. The 6’2, 200-pounder played in all 12 games at Tulsa, starting five. He made noise down the stretch with 30 receptions, 588 yards, and five touchdowns. That includes a scorching four-game run to end the season with 21 catches, 461 yards, and five scores in that stretch. Also, he averaged 19.6 yards per catch, 12th-best in the country. No wonder he was the AAC Freshman of the Year. And after his transfer portal dip, he was supposed to be Utah’s big win. But things changed fast. 

When Joseph Williams hit the portal after a breakout 2024 season, he racked up multiple offers, including USC, Utah, and Mississippi State. But one of them left him shaking when the phone rang. And he revealed the school in his interview with Darius Sanders in a new episode on Reach The People Media on June 7.

After revealing that his dream schools were TCU and USC growing up, he didn’t hide his emotions when Lincoln Riley‘s team offered him. “When USC offered me, I almost broke down in tears because USC was always a school I’ve always watched,” he said. 

For someone who grew up watching Reggie Bush, USC was a dream. Joseph Williams revealed that it was USC Athletics who called him while he was with his mother. “It was the receiver coach,” he recounted. “He called me, offered me, and stuff like that. I went back. I started crying a little bit. I was tearing up a little bit when I was talking to my parents about it because it was like a dream come true.”

But despite it being his dream school with great coaches, top-tier facilities, and a top-notch visit, he hit the brakes. “I didn’t want to do the same thing (I did in high school) and like shut down my recruitment before everybody else had a chance,” he confessed. In the end, Utah won his commitment because of a receiver need, which would put him in line to immediately start. 

Note that Joseph Williams visited Colorado after his Utah commitment. Just four days later, he decommitted from the Utes to join Deion Sanders in Boulder. “When I got to Colorado, it was just different like you could just feel the different energy,” he admitted. And it’s Coach Prime’s aura that did the real talking. “I’ve never admitted somebody has aura until I met Coach Prime, like it’s literally different,” he said. 

Also, it’s the pitch that brought his interest. “Biggest thing he told me in my recruitment that’s really got me is he’s not going to give me what I want because he knows he has other guys that are good,” he revealed. “So I have to come in and earn everything… With my jersey number, things I need, things I want, stuff like that, he said I have to come in and earn it. He’s not going to give it to me.” And for someone who believes in his abilities, this is a challenge he couldn’t pass.

Can Joseph Williams earn the nod from Deion Sanders?

Coming out of high school, Joseph Williams is an all-rounder. “I was always multiple position type of player,” he said. “Little league I was playing D-line, running back, quarterback, receiver. I played every position but the offensive line… When I got to high school, I was playing quarterback all the way up to my senior year of high school, and I made that switch to where I play receiver and I play safety, and it was good after that.” His performance at Mansfield Summit High highlights his athleticism. 

Joseph Williams passed for 991 yards and 7 TDs, ran for 1,234 yards and 14 TDs as a junior QB. As a senior, he made the switch to WR/S and racked up 666 receiving yards on 38 catches, 12 TDs, 31 tackles, one interception, one FR, and 6 blocked kicks. He’s got potential. And Deion Sanders’ pitch hit the right chords—“He’s going to help me grow not only as a player but as a man.”

Now, with three years of eligibility and a fire that no dream school call could calm, Joseph Williams is betting on something bigger than stardom. He’s betting on himself. And with Deion Sanders there to stay, he’s on the right trajectory.