March 26
2004
117 Players You Should Know in 2004
Virginia Tech DB Jimmy Williams
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Writeup by Pete Fiutak
Who is Jimmy Williams? ... Gagging in November, special teams, Michael Vick, speed and athleticism. Virginia Tech has been known for a lot of things since its rise to prominence several years ago. What it hasn't necessarily been thought of is a hard-nosed team.
That's not to say the Hokies haven't been physical, you can't run the ball like they do without being able to push someone around, but it's mostly been about the flash and dash in Blacksburg. Tech has a player in now-corner Jimmy Williams who has the athletic pizzazz Hokie fans are used to, but he's going to add power to a finesse position.
Williams was second on the Hokies with 114 tackles last season proving to be a great player in the open field, but he also showed how good he could be when the ball was in the air with two interceptions and five broken up passes. While he was one of the unsung safeties in the Big East last year, he should receive more publicity this season in the ACC as one of the league's most versatile corners.
Williams learned on the fly seeing time as a true freshman as the understudy to All-American Willie Pile before stepping in last year at free safety proving to be every bit as productive. Now he'll have to follow another difficult act replacing star DeAngelo Hall as the team's top cornerback. He's certainly mentally tough to handle the change of position, now he's going to bring his physical toughness to the job as well.
Williams' best game so far was ... in the 31-7 win over Miami in 2003. Williams helped shutdown the Hurricane offense flying all over the field with 12 tackles and a tackle for loss. He also managed to be a major playmaker against Texas A&M with 18 tackles in the 35-19 win.
Why you should care about Jimmy Williams ... With Hall, RB Kevin Jones, DE Nathanial Adibi, C Jake Grove, WR Ernest Wilford and other top stars gone, it'll be up to Williams to be one of the team's new stars and the rock of the Hokie defense. If he performs like he's supposed to at corner, one side of the field should be taken care of.
Positives about Williams ... He's big, physical and more versatile than just about any defensive back to ever play in Blacksburg. At 6-3 and close to 220 pounds, he's a huge hitter who should be an intimidating corner after playing safety. On some teams, he'd even be an outside linebacker. He's a smart player who'll adapt quickly to his new position.
Negatives about Williams ... Now he has to be the man. Not that he's not up to the task, but he's had the benefit of playing on a defense loaded with talent and star power. Offensive coordinators might test him a little bit early on, and he'll have to prove he's up to the task. If not, it could be a tough year for the Tech secondary. While he isn't the blazer past Hokie corners like DeAngelo Hall were, he has decent speed. The question will be if his speed is enough to make up for any mistakes.
A cool thing about Williams that you probably didn't know ... He played linebacker and quarterback during his senior year of high school. At Bethel High in Hampton, Virginia, he played at the same school Allen Iverson did. ... He registered over 200 tackles and picked off 13 passes during his high school career. ... During his freshman year, Tech had two Jimmy Williams. The sports information department had to call them Jimmy E. Williams (no longer on team) and Jimmy F. Williams (the current Tech player) based on their middle initials
Career statistics
2003: 114 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, five broken up passes and two recovered fumbles
2002: 46 tackles, one tackle for loss