‘It’ll be one hell of a year.’ Miami’s James Williams (and his defense, he says) is back
The upbeat intensity of James Williams — the mesmerizing Miami Hurricane who wears No. 0 and drew all eyes Friday at the University of Miami — poured from his “6-5, 218-pound, 110-pounds-of-muscle-less-12-percent-fat” body.
And that was off Greentree Field.
On it? Pure adrenaline.
Safety James Williams met the media during the third and final UM practice session before spring break, and was adamant that this will be the year the defense rises again. He called himself “the top dog” and said his leap from barely knowing anything last season “as a young guy’’ to his transition to “running the pack’’ this spring “has been an eye-opener for me.’’
“I love it,’’ Williams, a soon-to-be-sophomore, said of the new defense directed by coordinator Kevin Steele. “It’ll be one hell of a year. This year is going to be the year Miami is back at the defense that everybody has been looking for — tackle, hit, wrap, make plays, get turnovers, make sacks. This is going to be the year that we all will be looking for.”
Fans are counting on it.
Last year, with former head coach Manny Diaz serving as the defensive coordinator, UM finished 7-5 and was ranked 82nd nationally in scoring defense (allowing 28.2 points a game), 75th in total defense (389.6 yards allowed a game), 102nd in passing yards allowed (250.6) and 76th in third-down conversion percentage defense (allowing first downs about 60 percent of the time). The Canes’ rushing defense was 44th (139 yards), with their best category a No 8 ranking in tackles for loss (7.8 a game).
Williams, the five-star defensive jewel of the 2021 signing class along with fellow five-star defensive tackle Leonard Taylor, was the nation’s No. 1 safety prospect who took over as a starter against the FCS Central Connecticut State Blue Devils when former Hurricane Gurvan Hall was suspended. Only an injury could take Williams off the field after that. The Plantation American Heritage grad started seven consecutive games and went down in the first half of the Nov. 13 Florida State game.
The groin injury required season-ending surgery, and Williams finished his freshman year with 31 tackles, half a tackle for loss, two interceptions and two passes defended in 10 games. Kamren Kinchens, another exceptional freshman talent who started the last five games at safety and played in all 12 games (fourth on the team with 44 tackles, one tackle for loss, four breakups and a forced fumble), will not participate in spring practice, likely injury related.
Avantae Williams, the nation’s top safety from the 2020 recruiting class, played in six games, starting the season finale at Duke, and had 18 tackles and an interception.
‘Three-headed monster’
“We’re the three-headed-monsters back there,’’ Williams said. “We can’t mess up anything because there’s nothing behind us. So we gotta be on each other as much as you be on yourself.
“I gotta make sure Tae knows what he’s doing. I gotta make sure Kam knows what he’s doing, so we all can be on one screen — because nothing is behind us.”
Despite all the outside talk that Williams could boost UM’s defense by transitioning to linebacker, he has always made it clear that he intends to play safety. Steele reinforced that intention.
“A little fast for experimentation now,’’ Steele said. “You have to learn something first before you can start trying to learn two things. That’s hard. Not that we ever would with him. We’re not at that point. He’s playing safety. That’s what we know him as. He’s long, he can run, he’s a bright guy, communicates well on the field quarterbacking it. He has been very good there in that regard.”
Williams said the change in his body — “I cut a lot of fat and gained a lot of muscle’’ — resulted in his being more adept at using his hips, thus making him “more explosive.”
“It allowed me to bend more and be elusive, to take great angle to the ball. ... It was straight, explosive stuff,’’ he said of strength and conditioning coordinator Aaron Feld’s off-season conditioning program. “I can’t wait to get back in the weight room when we come back, because I love the weight room.’’
Overly emotive
When asked to explain the difference in him compared to last season, Williams conceded that his sometimes overly enthusiastic on-field emoting at times, which got him flagged for personal fouls, hurt the team.
“Last year I was so eager to get out there that I was causing penalties,’’ Williams said. “I had to learn that I’m going to play, my time is going to come. And my time did come. Just always stay ready.’’
“When you’re in the moment,” he was asked, “how do you learn how to control that?”
“Breathe,’’ he said. “Think. Realize where I’m at. Understand what I gotta do, my assignments, my keys, slow down on everything.’’
Williams said Steele and secondary coach Jahmile Addae “are on us about every little thing on and off the field no matter what. They want us to be a better person, they want us to be a better player. They want us to be great — and better than great.
“They want us to keep pushing and get to where we want to go. Get us to where we can’t take ourselves.”
Al Blades, who’s back practicing at cornerback after missing the last 12 games with various health issues, said Williams is close to his family, “so I’ve known James for a long time. For me, personally, he has a lot of pressure from me. I want him to speak. I want him to be that guy.
“James, Avantae, I want everybody in the secondary to be that guy, to be able to speak up and know what’s going on and be able to make adjustments and help build our identity so we all can be on one page.’’
Williams hit receiver Xavier Restrepo on one play Friday with some heavy-duty body contact, catching him off guard, a reporter indicated. The players at that point were in shoulder pads and “thudding.’’
“I just wanted to let everybody know I’m back,’’ Williams said. “I feel better. I feel great. I feel amazing.
“I”m ready to play.’’
