Gators DB C.J. McWilliams rallies to earn starting role
GAINESVILLE – First, it was the debacle against Georgia in 2018, and then a crisis of confidence.
The Achilles tear in August 2019 seemed to deliver the final blow to the career of UF defensive back C.J. McWilliams.
All but forgotten on a team stacked with talent in the secondary, McWilliams battled back during the past few weeks.
McWilliams now has a starting role at the STAR position — the most stunning development on the No. 6 Gators’ Week 1 depth chart ahead of Saturday’s visit to Ole Miss.
The team’s best pass catcher said McWilliams’ emergence is no surprise inside the program.
“C.J. is a guy that people kind of overlooked, I feel like, after that Georgia game,” All-SEC tight end Kyle Pitts said. “Everybody was just bashing him, but that’s not the real C.J. The real C.J. is how he’s playing now, 100%. He’s sticking, he’s hitting people hard in the open. He can guard. He can do everything that when he came here he’s doing now.
”First game, everybody going to be kind of shocked seeing him out there making plays.”
Until then, McWilliams, a redshirt senior from Miami, might be best remembered for his struggles two seasons ago during the Gators’ 36-17 loss to Georgia.
McWilliams drew a bizarre delay-of-game penalty when he took the field with his uniform pants not covering his knees. Georgia’s passing game then undressed McWilliams in coverage after he replaced injured cornerback CJ Henderson following UF’s first defensive series.
McWilliams was a step behind the rest of the season. The following August, he tore his Achilles tendon during a non-contact drill.
The 5 -foot-11, 184-pound McWilliams now is lining up at one of the key play-making position on the Gators defense — the STAR. Coordinator Todd Grantham looks for a complete player, able to cover slot receivers, make tackles in the flats or on the edge and even blitz the quarterback.
McWilliams’ experience, versatility and tenacity earned the trust of coaches and teammates.
“To the guy’s credit, the guy’s really busted his tail; he’s worked
hard,” Grantham said. “He’s been healthy through this whole thing. He’s really done what we’ve asked. He’s really earned it.
“He’s done a good job of making himself into a guy that we feel that we can count on in certain situations.”
McWilliams is listed ahead of backup Tre’Vez Johnson, one of several first-year players from a talented 2020 class of defensive backs who have earned positive reviews from coaches during preseason camp.
Senior Brad Stewart also lined up at the STAR during preseason camp but did not appear on this week’s depth chart. Neither did senior defensive tackle Kyree Campbell, who started all 13 games in 2019.
Coach Dan Mullen said Wednesday each veteran will be available Saturday in Oxford, Mississippi.
“I didn’t even look at that,” Mullen said. “You guys and your depth charts, man.”
McWilliams is sure to be ready to go for his first game since the 2018 Peach Bowl.
“He’s a veteran player,” Mullen said. “Any time you get injured it’s really frustrating.”
But McWilliams was able to put two years of frustration behind him and redeem himself, much to the delight of his teammates.
“I think it’s pretty tough on him,” Pitts said. “It was just like a lot of things maybe wasn’t going his way. So when he got a chance to bounce back, he’s been doing nothing but just pinning his ears back and going for it now.”