Safety earns respect with ACL injury response
Kourt Williams hasn't played a snap in an Ohio State game, yet the redshirt freshman safety has already earned higher praise than most players earn in their career.
“Kourt Williams is the most diligent worker that I have been around anywhere, anytime, anyplace,” defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs said. “This kid is the first guy in the building every day. He's the last guy to leave.”
It's unclear what Williams' role will be this year. He's one of several talented young players jockeying for playing time in the Buckeyes' secondary.
Soon after his arrival last January as a four-star recruit from St. John Bosco High School in California, Williams drew praise. Coach Ryan Day mentioned him as a potential future captain last year. But any hope of making a splash in 2020 ended when he tore an ACL during training camp.
As devastating as it was, Williams now considers the injury a blessing.
“Probably one of the best things that could have happened to me,” Williams said Monday. “I've always been a hard worker, but honestly, I can say that the injury really took it took it to the next level.”
Williams said the day of the injury remains a blur. He said he has tried to block it from his mind. But Williams was resolute in how he would respond to it.
“I was doing really good in camp, and for that to happen, I needed to figure out something because I wasn't going to sulk and be sad,” he said. “I couldn't play on the field. But that doesn't mean I still have to fall behind. Even if I'm not able to be out on the field physically, I can still find myself ahead of the curve mentally, emotionally and spiritually, so that's where I took it.”
Coaches and teammates noticed. “I think if you said, ‘Who's the hardest-working guy in our building?' a good portion of our team would say Kourt Williams,” Day said. “He's there sometimes at 5:30 in the morning, and I go home at night and he's still there. He's unbelievable with his work ethic and the way he's rehabbed his knee, so we're all dying to see him get on the field and play this year.”
Williams still ices the knee often as a precaution but says he's healthy.
“Physically, I feel great,” he said. “It's been really good being back with my teammates playing football, playing the game I love.”
At 6 feet 1 and 220 pounds, Williams is the ideal size to play the hybrid safety/ linebacker “bullet” position. Ronnie Hickman and Craig Young are among those also being used in that spot. The Buckeyes covet versatility, and coaches are moving defensive backs around trying to get the best fit.
“He's a big dude, and to be able to move like that, to have great feet and great hips, is special to see,” senior cornerback Marcus Williamson said. “He's accountable, dependable, extremely smart, and the talent just jumps off the charts. Kourt is special, and we're all just excited to see how he continues to grow.”
Defensive backs coach Matt Barnes echoed Coombs' praise by calling Williams the most diligent player he's ever met. He said he's been encouraged by Williams' play in training camp.
“He's played well in some scrimmages and he looks great,” Barnes said.
O-line picture clearing up
Day said the offensive line configuration is close to being resolved, and it appears that the insertion of Dawand Jones at right tackle is more than an experiment.
Because of Jones' progress, Nicholas Petit-frere was moved from right tackle to left tackle, with Thayer Munford shifting from left tackle to left guard. Harry Miller is expected to play center with Paris Johnson Jr. at right guard. brabinowitz@dispatch.com @brdispatch