July Player Performance Index top 30 deep dive: No. 7 S James Williams

CaneSport is breaking down the top 30 Miami players on the roster, and today we’re at No. 7, S James Williams.

THE BIG PICTURE

James Williams might be the most physically gifted safety on the Miami Hurricanes and perhaps in the ACC … quite a statement given that Kam Kinchens is a returning All-American. But you just don’t often see a guy with Williams’ speed and athleticism along with power at 6-5 and 215 pounds. It’s why some believe he’ll wind up playing linebacker in the NFL. To this point William’s first two seasons at Miami after arriving as a 5-star prospect have been just okay based on expectations. He’s been banged up, missing three games the last two years, and he has 89 career tackles along with three interceptions and 11 pass breakups. With that said, the reason Williams is at No. 7 is simply his pure talent. If he can stay healthy and really understand the ins and outs of Lance Guidry’s attacking style of defense he should be racking up tackles for loss, sacks and interceptions. He’ll be used in a variety of ways. Something else Williams needs to hone in on is keeping his head on straight, since we’ve seen him commit silly personal fouls in his first two seasons at Miami. He also has a tendency to freelance and try to play other players’ assignments, something he also needs to grow out of. Williams also has to stop trying to body slam guys for tackles and wrap them up – too often they are bouncing off of him and continuing downfield (he had 24 missed tackles in his two seasons, per Pro Football Focus).

THE ANALYSIS

Williams was hampered this spring coming off injury, returning for the last couple of weeks on a limited basis. So we really didn’t get a good glimpse of the multiple ways we expect new coordinator Lance Guidry will utilize him. Williams is a guy with the length and speed to excel roaming the back end, but he’s also physical enough to come down in the box and could also be an excellent option as a blitzer. We think Williams will be lined up all over the field, helping create offensive confusion. He was a full-time starter the last two years but hasn’t really broken out the same way as safety-mate All-American Kam Kinchens. Williams started seven games as a true freshman in 2021, earning All-ACC honorable mention after totaling 31 tackles, 0.5 TFL and two interceptions (and missing the final two games due to injury). This past season he played part of the year banged up but only missed one game – he was second on the team with 58 tackles (one off the team lead of Kinchens) along with 1 TFL, an interception, six pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. So while he’s been pretty solid for Miami these first two seasons, it’s not up to the superstar level many expect given his unique skillset. Williams’ Pro Football Focus grades were pretty good this past year: 73.5 percent overall (70 is considered a good grade). That included an outstanding 88.5 grade in coverage, 61.1 in run defense, 63.3 tackling and 56.4 pass rush. In 2021 he graded out at 63.6 overall (he played 384 reps that year compared to 656 reps in 2022) and had a 54.0 run defense grade, 47.9 tackle grade, 51.3 pass rush grade and another really good coverage grade at 78.1. He’s in line for an excellent season.

THE PROJECTION

We believe Williams will be lined up in the box quite a bit, which means he should be right up there with the team leaders in tackles. The bigger question is how many game-changing interceptions, sacks and forced fumbles/fumble recoveries he can log. Because it’s a guy like Williams who can be your Ed Reed and make those superlative plays. If Williams takes his coaching well and remains level-headed we can see him with a handful of sacks and a handful of interceptions. Why not? He’s as talented a safety physically as you’ll find in the college football landscape.

THE JUMP HE NEEDS FROM SPRING TO FALL CAMP

Williams was limited this spring, so really in fall camp it’s going to be about living up to his vast potential and showing he understands the ins and outs of a new defense that will likely use him in multiple ways. There’s really nothing Williams can’t do at an elite level, and he’s got future NFL first round pick written all over him … if he can finally break through and really show his game-changing ability in games. We would not be surprised if he has a huge breakout season.

THE QUOTE

“Playing for my hometown was kind of like a blessing to me – being at Hard Rock, it kind of motivates me. Telling the crowd to get up off your feet – it brings more energy to everybody in the stadium.” -James Williams

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