Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
DB Williams makes most of first spring
Safety has put last season’s medical issues behind him
Miami’s Bubba Bolden may have described fellow safety Avantae Williams best beyond being the star 2020 recruit that had his first college season taken away for undisclosed medical reasons and was recently cleared ahead of the Hurricanes’ spring practices.
“He’s a guy with a lot of passion,” Bolden said of Williams on Wednesday. “One thing he wants to do is play football. I think that’s the only thing he wants to do.”
Williams got that opportunity to finally, fully, do exactly that when he was medically cleared from what coach Manny Diaz last August called “chronic and lingering medical issues” that held him out of for the fall. Since getting into the mix, Williams is exciting coaches and players through the first half of spring drills.
“He’s a guy who loves football,” said Miami’s new defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson. “At night, he’s the kind of guy that calls you, ‘Hey, coach, I want to go through this again,’ and wants to be a good football player.
“I’m excited about Avantae. I think he’s going to be a really talented football player for us in the future.”
Williams, described as “an animal” on the field by fellow safety Gurvan Hall, has approached his spring opportunities with gusto.
“Having him back out here and being able to go full go and not have to think about his neck or anything, I think it’s given him a lot of life and a lot of energy,” Bolden said. “Just seeing him grow and seeing him develop over time, and how quick he picks up on football [has been gratifying].”
His early progress, after a year away from the game, was evident when he came up with an interception in his first spring scrimmage on Saturday, noted by Diaz as one of the defensive standouts.
“He doesn’t need to write things down or hear twice to know what he’s doing,” Bolden said. “It’s great improvement every day by him. He’s just getting better, getting a feel for the game. Even on the interception, just ‘Tae being ‘Tae. He’s athletic. He can make plays, and he just went up and got that one.”
As much buzz as there is around Williams, as well as freshman early enrollee Kamren Kinchens, whom Robinson also named as a young safety flashing in spring, they still have ground to make up on the three experienced upperclassmen at the position — Bolden, Hall and Amari Carter.
“At the end of the day, me, Gurvan and Amari are the three best safeties right now,” Bolden affirmed on Wednesday. “That’s how it’s going to be, and I think that’s how it’s going to be throughout the season.”
Robinson added of Williams: “He’s got to continue to develop. He’s close. He’s not where he needs to be, obviously, but he’s moving toward that goal.”
He’s working with him on technical issues, one of which is keeping his head up when he tackles. He has a tendency to duck his head.
Regardless, the progress of Williams early on in his first spring drills has been encouraging.
“You might be hearing his name a little bit more,” Hall said.
Williams, once rated as high as the No. 1 high school safety prospect nationally, landed at Miami when he chose the Hurricanes over the Florida Gators in a National Signing Day stunner in February of 2020.