Former foe likes winning feeling
Williams lost twice at Ualbany while playing for Saint Francis (Pa.)
After losing twice at Casey Stadium as a visiting player, University at Albany cornerback Jarren Williams finally left the field as a winner on Saturday night.
Williams had a 63-yard interception return for a touchdown in his Great Danes home debut, a 45-3 victory over Bryant.
“It was definitely something I could get used to, you know,” Williams said Tuesday. “Especially from the beginning of coming down the path, through the fans and the smoke (during pregame introductions). The atmosphere was great, the fans were great and most important, we got a (win) and who doesn’t like winning?”
Williams, a redshirt senior, transferred to Ualbany this year after playing three seasons at Saint Francis (Pa.) of the Northeast Conference.
Williams didn’t even take a visit to the Ualbany campus while he was going through the transfer portal. He didn’t have to. He’d already been there twice when the Red Flash lost 20-9 at Casey in 2016 and 35-28 last year.
He said Football Bowl Subdivision schools such as Toledo, Akron and Ball State showed interest in bringing him in to play safety. Williams said he kept waiting for the right opportunity, which probably cost him. But then Ualbany assistant coach Nate Byham gave him a call.
“I went with my gut,” he said. “Playing here twice, this place left an impact on me. I was like, this is a solid team that I can be a part of, so why not? It just felt right.”
Meanwhile, the Great Danes had a need at cornerback after Kareem Brown graduated following last season.
“Jarren, we had played against him at Saint Francis and we knew he was a good player,” Ualbany head coach Greg Gattuso said. “He had some opportunities that kind of fell through and with the portal, it’s kind of a zoo at times for kids. It’s hard. He became available to us. We were really happy to bring him in and he’s solidified our back end. He’s a good football player.”
He showed that on a key play
in the second quarter of the blowout win over Bryant. The Bulldogs tried to throw a screen pass to freshman wide receiver Anthony Frederick. But Williams sniffed it out with help from Ualbany cornerbacks coach Curome Cox, standing nearby on the sideline.
Cox alerted Williams, who was playing off the receiver, to switch to press coverage at the last second.
“(Cox) recognized something from like the first play of the game, how they lined up,” Williams said.
When the pass deflected off Frederick’s hands, it caromed to Williams, who dashed 63 yards to give the Great Danes a 21-0 lead.
“The rest was just get it and go, God-given ability,” Williams said.
It was the second interception of Williams’ college career in 33 games.
This time, Williams made a big play instead of being a victim. When Saint Francis lost at Ualbany a year ago, Williams was beaten by Ualbany’s Jerah Reeves on a slant for a 65-yard touchdown after Williams collided with his own safety.
Now Williams and Reeves are teammates with the Great Danes (1-1), who play at Monmouth Saturday.
“Last year, a couple of the (Ualbany) guys gave me a bit of a handful, like the receivers,” Williams said. “You want the guys on your team to make you better, so that’s another big thing (for choosing Ualbany). No better receiving corps than our team.”
Williams also wanted to play for Cox, who suited up for the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans for 43 games from 2005 to 2007.
“I have aspirations of playing in the NFL, and he’s someone who’s relateable,” Williams said. “He’s done it before.”
Williams, from Lewis Center, Ohio, is the only player on Ualbany’s roster with NCAA playoff experience. He played on Saint Francis’ NEC championship team in 2016.
“To get to that point to be a champion, you’ve got to work every single day,” he said.
Note: Ualbany junior cornerback Alex Badine Jr. tweeted after Tuesday’s practice that he has received an NCAA waiver to be eligible this season. Badine was a walk-on at Ohio State last season, but didn’t play in any games there.