Star Oregon receiver declares for NFL draft, will miss Alamo Bowl

Oregon receiver Devon Williams has declared for the NFL draft, he posted via Instagram. He will not play in the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma.

Listed as a sophomore, Williams led the team in receiving with 35 catches for 557 yards and four touchdowns in 2021.

“(Receivers coach) Bryan McClendon once told me, ‘Tomorrow is not guaranteed, nobody promised you that,'” Williams said in his statement. “That has stuck with me all year and I’ve held it close to my heart. With that being said, after long and restless nights and endless conversations with my family … I have decided that I will be forgoing my senior year and the Alamo Bowl game and enter the NFL draft, striving to follow my dreams.”

Williams was listed as the No. 4 receiver in the class of 2018 according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He originally committed to USC, spending one year with the Trojans before transferring to Eugene in 2019.

He played in just one game his first season with the Ducks before taking on a larger role in 2020. His 286 yards receiving again led the team that year.

McClendon, who has coached Williams since 2020, is set to serve as the Ducks’ interim head coach for their bowl game. Former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning will then take over for the 2022 season. It has not yet been announced whether Lanning will retain McClendon as receivers coach.

Oklahoma will also have an interim coach when it faces Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. Sooners legend Bob Stoops will lead the team once more before Brent Venables takes over next season.

The Oregon receiver isn’t the first Ducks player to opt out of the bowl with his sights set on the NFL draft. Defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, a projected top five pick, also will also forgo the Alamo Bowl.