Future of Miami safety Avantae Williams still with Canes after heart-to-heart with coach
Avantae Williams hasn’t had an easy journey through his still relatively young career at the University of Miami.
But be assured that Hurricanes coaches aren’t giving up on him, nor are they trying to create drama.
Williams, the 6-0, 198-pound third-year sophomore who was rated by Rivals.com the recruiting class of 2020’s No. 1 overall safety but temporarily dismissed from the team after a 2021 arrest, did not get any defensive snaps against Southern Miss and after Saturday’s game had taken any UM-related photos off his Instagram account.
By Monday, after a heart-to-heart with UM coach Mario Cristobal, there were two added photos of Williams wearing his UM uniform.
“Avantae didn’t play as much on Saturday,’’ Cristobal said Monday, when asked about Williams. “That’s obvious. Look, Avantae is a good dude. He really is. I’ve known him for a long, long time — recruited him at [Oregon]. And the obvious thing is in the world of social media, this and that... Look, I met with Avantae.
“We’re always going to be straightforward and blunt and honest. We’re not going to create drama or narratives. That just ain’t it. I’m not going to have that here.
“He’s a good young man and we’ve got to get to work and continue to get better and better. And he wants to be good. He’s got a really, really bright future. We’re going to choose not to create narratives and drama out there in our program.”
Cristobal, who appears to be handling such a situation, at least publicly, for the first time at Miami, was asked how he deals with players who might be frustrated with lack of playing time.
“How do we deal with it?” the coach replied. “With honesty and transparency. There’s no other way to deal with it. We don’t know of any other way. I guess there’s no drama or narrative that come with the processes of growth and development as a student-athlete football player. Certain people hit their strides at certain times. It’s unpredictable. When is a guy going to peak? When is a guy going to hit his stride and be a great player and great contributor?
“You’re talking about guys that are all contributing and doing a lot of good things. Sometimes some guys are a little bit ahead of others. Sometimes there’s some ground to be gained and some guys are making it up fast and others are not. Honesty and transparency. No nonsense and no BS.”
Williams did play 14 defensive snaps in the opener against Bethune-Cookman, but has no statistics.
No. 13 UM (2-0) is preparing for its first road game at 9 p.m. Saturday at No. 24 Texas A&M (1-1) of the Southeastern Conference.
Legal history
Williams, 21, was dismissed from the team on July 22, 2021 after allegations of domestic violence on his then-pregnant former girlfriend. Court records showed he was originally charged with three counts of aggravated battery on a pregnant victim, a felony, but prosecutors declined to file charges and the case was closed in August 2021.
Former UM coach Manny Diaz allowed Williams to rejoin the team at the end of August 2021, one day before the University of Miami publicly announced that the then-second-year freshman would be suspended the first six games and that he would have to “reach specific benchmarks in the area of education, mentorship and personal development in order to return to competition and remain as a member of the football team.’’
Williams, from DeLand, played in six games last season, starting the regular-season finale against Duke. He finished the season with 18 tackles, with his career highlight an interception he returned 32 yards against Georgia Tech.
Williams did not play his first season in 2020 because of a medical issue, but he was still with the team.
“I’m enjoying myself, having fun, enjoying the heat,’’ Williams told reporters last month during fall camp. “I’m excited to be here. ...We’re really talented in the back end.’’
James Williams
James Williams, a 6-5, 224-pound sophomore, is a former five-star recruit out of Plantation American Heritage who was the No. 1 safety in the recruiting class of 2021. In two games, he has an interception, eight tackles, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Fellow sophomore Kamren Kinchens also is having a standout season, with seven tackles and an interception.
Former cornerback Al Blades, who was switched to safety this season, has played in both games and has one assisted tackle.
“They’re all doing really well,’’ Cristobal said. “James played at an extremely high level, absolute stud, this past game. Kam continues to play really well and Al is also playing really well.
“We feel like we’re developing really well there and we have a lot of guys that can play a lot of different positions. We expect them to play at a high level. And just as importantly, we expect a strong competitive response from our guys.”
The coach, without naming names, said if a guy chooses “to pout... that’s not for this program. The whole purpose and intent of competition is to make everyone aware that nothing but their very best is going to be good enough.”
UM defensive coordinator Kevin Steele also spoke Monday, and said Avantae Williams was “Doing well’’ and “coming along.’’
“It’s all a process for all of us. I think he will be just fine.’’
Steele said as a coach you have to treat players “just like you would with your own son.’’
“You’re going to care about them, nurture them, help them through adversity if they’re having adversity... It’s a process. I’ve had guys that didn’t get their pants dirty the first five games and started the next six games. I’ve had guys that didn’t get their pants dirty the first three years they were on campus and played five years in the NFL. It’s different for everybody.
“Just like you would with your own child. You stay on top of it, work through it, you help people learn how to fight through whatever struggles they’re having, and help them get to where they need to get. That’s coaching. That’s not a problem. It’s just like raising your own.’’
This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 2:31 PM.
