James Williams needs surgery, done for season; Tyler Van Dyke doing OK after knee injury
James Williams, one of the biggest breakout stars from a rocky season for the Miami Hurricanes, is done for the year after injuring his groin Nov. 13 in a loss to the Florida State Seminoles.
Williams’ “muscle injury,” as Manny Diaz termed it, will require surgery and end the safety’s season, the coach said.
Williams went down in the first half of the Florida State game and initially tried to play through the injury in Tallahassee before sitting out the entire second half. The Hurricanes didn’t immediately rule out Williams for Saturday, but he did not dress for Miami’s 38-26 win against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Hard Rock Stadium. On Monday, Diaz said the 6-foot-5, 224-pound freshman will require season-ending surgery.
“Unfortunately, his muscle injury that he sustained in the Florida State game can’t heal on its own, so he’ll be getting surgery here shortly.”
The defensive back, who was the No. 1 safety in the 247Sports.com composite rankings for the Class of 2021, had started seven straight games at safety, originally taking over in the lineup against the FCS Central Connecticut State Blue Devils when fellow safety Gurvan Hall Jr. was suspended and keeping his job all the way up until the injury. He finishes his freshman year with 31 tackles, a half a tackle for loss, two interceptions and two passes defended.
With Williams sidelined Saturday, Amari Carter moved back from striker to start opposite fellow safety Kamren Kinchens and striker Gilbert Frierson took Carter’s spot in the box.
Diaz said Williams’ season-ending injury “is obviously a big loss.”
“He had taken a big role on our defense and was playing really well, provided a lot of energy in our secondary,” Diaz said. “It’s another hit to our back end that left us very thin.”
The Hurricanes (6-5, 4-3 Atlantic Coast) also lost cornerback Tyrique Stevenson to a shoulder injury Saturday, as he went down in the first half and wasn’t able to return. Diaz said he could return Saturday against the Duke Blue Devils in Durham, North Carolina.
“We think there’s a better chance of him playing this weekend and moving forward,” the coach said.
Van Dyke OK, wins honor
Tyler Van Dyke got a scare in the first half Saturday when he slipped on the wet grass in Miami Gardens and tweaked his left knee, but the quarterback never had to leave the game and Diaz said was doing well when trainers looked at him Sunday.
“It was good,” Diaz said. “The trainers were pleased with how he looked yesterday, and his strength and range of motion — all that type of stuff. Your usual postgame soreness, which a bunch of guys have, but it was a good report from when he came in the day after the game.”
The second-year freshman played with a brace on his knee in the second half and it didn’t slow him at all. Van Dyke went 19 of 33 for 357 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, and injuring his groin Nov. 13 for the fourth time in five weeks. He also became the first ACC quarterback in 15 years to throw for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns in five straight games.
Miami has plan at punter
Punter Lou Hedley took part in Miami’s senior-day festivities Saturday and, although Diaz said “the door is not completely shut” on the redshirt junior returning for one more year, the Hurricanes believe Hedley’s successor is already on the roster.
Fellow Australian Nelson Foley “was brought in to be the next guy in line,” Diaz said, and could take over at punter as soon as next season.
“When we recruited Nelson originally and gave him a spot, it would be so he could be here with Lou departed,” Diaz said.
Hedley has not yet announced whether he plans to enter the 2022 NFL Draft. Diaz said he talked to the 28-year-old specialist last week and told him “we want what’s best for him.”
Hedley was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award last season and a preseason All-American this year. This year, he has punted 47 times for an average of 44.9 yards per punt with 19 inside the 20-yard line. His numbers are slightly down from last year, when he averaged 47.2 yards per punt.
“I know he loves it here and enjoys being here,” Diaz said, “so we will see how that plays out over the next three to four weeks.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 2:00 PM.
