Miami Hurricanes 50-1 Countdown: Ranking the top 50 post-spring players … No. 7 James Williams

CaneSport is breaking down the top 50 post-spring players on the Miami roster, a list that doesn’t include any post-spring roster additions. Today we break down No. 7, James Williams.

NO. 7 MIAMI S JAMES WILLIAMS

Why he’s No. 7

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. The former 5-star 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 as an athletic 6-5, 215-pound safety who can also play in the box. 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.

What he needs to do to move up this list

Live up to his potential. If you simply look at physical attributes, it would be Williams as the All-American over Kinchens. 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. Part of Williams’ problem the last couple of years at Miami is his tendency to freelance and try to do too much instead of making plays within the system. He’s tried to go for big body blow tackles instead of simply wrapping up, which has led to missed tackles. And he’s also drawn several personal foul calls when he was unable to stay level-headed in certain situations. If he can overcome those things, this aggressive Lance Guidry defense is built for a guy like Williams. We can see a huge breakout season ahead.

Realistic season objective

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.

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