Softball Player Mia Williams Made a Bold Move From Florida to Texas Tech — Here's Why

There might have once been a time when college softball wasn't as high profile as, say, college basketball or football, but these days, that is becoming less and less accurate. Especially after Texas Tech University softball star Mia Williams left the University of Florida for the Lone Star State and a new team. For those who are pretty deep in the college sports fandom, it was a surprising move.

But why did Mia Williams leave Florida? She made the leap to Texas after playing with the Florida Gators for two seasons. Sports fans were especially curious after a game between the Gators and Texas Tech Red Raiders resulted in Mia's former coach, Tim Walton, leaving the game early. Now, there are new questions about why Mia left, along with some possible answers from college softball fans.

Mia spent her first two college softball seasons with the University of Florida under Coach Tim. However, she later moved to Texas Tech and became part of the Red Raiders. According to The Gainesville Sun, Mia's mother, Denika Williams, expressed concern over Tim's coaching. At the time of the 2025 Women's College World Series, Tim reportedly made some since-deleted social media posts that upset Denika. And, in 2025, Mia left the team.

According to a Reddit post at the time, Tim deleted the posts and even deactivated his social media accounts at the time. Per The Gainesville Sun, Mia also shared publicly that she was unhappy at Florida, though she did not publicly specify if it was due to her now former coach or if there was another reason for the transfer.

Some sports fans speculated on the actual reason behind Mia's move to Texas despite her more judicious explanation. There are rumors that Mia was going to be moved to first base, which she allegedly did not want. Her mother is also rumored to have had an issue with Coach Tim's lack of support for some of the players, Mia included. For Mia's part, though, she doesn't seem to hold any ill will toward the Gators or her former coach.

Mia made a name for herself as a collegiate athlete, but it probably doesn't hurt that she has a famous athlete for a father. Her dad, Jason Williams, played for multiple NBA teams during his professional sports career, including the Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, and Memphis Heat. And in college, he was a Florida Gator at one point, just like his daughter once was.

When it comes to Mia's sports career, though, Jason doesn't seem to mess around. During a Super Regional game in May 2026 between the Gators and the Red Raiders, with Mia playing against her former team (and coach), Tim was ejected from the game early.

According to Bleacher Report, Jason claimed, "He got kicked out because he didn't want to shake her hand," in reference to Mia and her team taking home the win.