[media-credit name=’MATTHEW KUTZ/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]It's difficult not to notice University of Wisconsin wide receiver Brandon Williams. No, it's not his personable nature, his straight-forward answers to questions or even his trademark No. 1 jersey that sticks out when you see him play.

It's the way he carries himself. Though only 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, the presence he exudes makes him seem larger than his frame would leave you to believe.

"When he walks in the door, he just has that swagger to him. It's not really cocky, but it's confident, and it rubs off on people," fellow senior wideout Jonathan Orr said.

But it wasn't always that way for Williams, who actually started his career struggling to rein in his fiery temperament.

"Brandon, he's grown so much," Orr said. "He just matured a whole lot with things like controlling his emotions. I remember his freshman year, people would try and beat him up just about every game."

Needless to say, no one is trying to beat him up anymore. Instead, teams are just trying to contain UW's multi-purpose threat and all-time leading receiver.

"He knows he's the best, and he wants to go out and prove it," Orr said.

So far this season, Williams has done just that — proven he's one of the best. He has blossomed in the fresh passing attack implemented by new co-offensive coordinator Paul Chryst, finding a knack for getting open, making him a favorite target for second-year starter John Stocco.

"I think he caught 52 balls his freshman year, and he's got 37 to date, but it's been a real good 37," wide receivers coach Henry Mason said. "He hasn't had any wasted reps out there, so just the fact that he knows how, with his ability, to work [defensive backs] and get open, that's been real fun to watch in his development."

His development, combined with the new offense, a familiarity with Stocco and a more-than-capable supporting cast have led Williams to what he describes as his best season ever — perhaps even one that could place his name in another place in the record books.

"I think I'm trying to get a G this year, 1,000 receiving yards," Williams said. "That's the goal I think I set it up in the off-season, but it's coming into reality right now. It's definitely within reach."

It's quite a lofty goal, considering the history working against him. A 1,000-yard season would make Williams only the second player in UW history to amass that total. Only current Buffalo Bill wideout Lee Evans accomplished the feat, doing so twice in his career. Not to mention, Williams still has to average 92.5 yards per game for the final four games to reach the goal.

But Williams isn't one to shy away from lofty goals. At the beginning of the season, the senior wideout said the team's goal was to make it to the Rose Bowl for the National Championship. He also said that Stocco, who just barely missed passing for 2,000 yards last season, would throw for more than 3,000 this season — not exactly popular beliefs at the beginning of the season.

Williams himself admitted most people probably didn't believe either statement would actually occur at the beginning of the season. But Williams just can't help himself from being the team's catalyst, something his teammates have grown to respect.

"Brandon creates that spark, and he's emotional and that's great. Sometimes you need that. You can't have everyone be monotone all the time," senior tight end Joel Nellis said.

Oftentimes this season, Williams' biggest spark has come not from his receiver position, but from his special-teams play. The senior has already brought back two punts for touchdowns this season and is currently fourth in the nation in both kick returns and punt returns.

"We're just putting a lot more emphasis on it," Williams said. "Guys are really buying into it more and getting done what needs to get done, and we're just hitting it at full stride. I just think that we've taken a big step up in that area."

Williams' ability has been evident in recent weeks as teams have avoided kicking to the St. Louis native, instead pooching kickoffs short and sending directional punts out of bounds to keep the explosive senior at bay. Though he's not seeing as much action at the position as he did earlier in the year, his ability to return both punts and kicks as well as being a dangerous receiving threat has made him a more complete player.

"He's a guy that you can depend on both in the pass game and in the run game," Orr said. "He'll do whatever you ask him to do. He's a team player and he's a guy you can count on week in and week out."