According to ESPN.com's Jeff Borzello, Texas State offensive line coach Eric Mateos said he made Williamson a scholarship offer while he was serving as LSU's tight ends coach in 2016.

After watching highlights of Williamson's monstrous dunks, Mateos called him and made a scholarship offer, noting, "I thought, h***, why not, he's probably the best d*** tight end to ever live."

Mateos compared Williamson's combination of size (6'7", 285 pounds) and athleticism to Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers and Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.


He added that his recruiting of Williamson arose because LSU head coach Ed Orgeron wanted him and other coaches to target elite athletes: "Honestly, I just thought it would be really fun and would be good exposure for LSU if we offered him for football. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be too [interested]. Coach O said go recruit the best athletes in the country, and that's what I tried to do."