In a stunning turn of events, wide receiver Mike Williams has decided to leave the program, the Syracuse Post-Standard is reporting.
Williams, who was suspended for the West Virginia Akron game Oct. 10 24 for violating unspecified team rules, walked into Doug Marrone‘s office this morning and told the coach he was quitting the team.
Even as he spoke to the receiver, Marrone said he had “no idea” why Williams left the team.
Marrone said he would not allow the huge void left by Williams’ departure to affect his squad. (Writer’s note: Yeah, good luck with that.)
“We’re headed forward,” Marrone said. “There’s no one individual including myself that’s more important than the program. The program is headed forward.
“Again, I go back to my original statement - you might not see it in the win-loss column, but if you’re looking, you can see it with the players.”
In the midst of an up and down season for the program, Williams has been one of the few consistently bright spots for the Orange.
Williams’ 49 receptions, 746 yards and six touchdowns were far and away the top numbers for the ‘Cuse; the next closest is Donte Davis’ 18 catches and 184 yards, and Marcus Sales’ three TD receptions.
He currently ranks as the top receiver in the Big East in both receptions per game and receiving yardage.
Just last week, Williams was named as one of the ten semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the top receiver in the nation.