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It wasn’t too long ago that Colorado defensive end coach Nick Williams was playing college football. Thanks to this, he knows how to get the players’ attention.
An up-and-coming young coach already known for his recruiting success, Williams routinely shows young players film of NFL stars.
“I remember being a player,” said Williams, who played at Georgia from 2008-12. “(During the film sessions) I wasn’t really locked in or you didn’t get my undivided attention because I was young and distracted — until you put on NFL tape because that’s where I saw myself. When I watched NFL film, I was in.
“I know, hey, if you take a defensive end and start Von Miller (film), now you get their attention. That’s where they want to go eventually, so I try to use NFL tape as much as possible.
First-year CU head coach Deion Sanders has loaded his coaching staff with experience. Williams doesn’t have much yet, but there’s something about him that Sanders has liked from the start, and that might be his ability to connect with young players while soaking up knowledge from his mentors.
After his playing career, Williams became a graduate assistant at Georgia and then went to Texas A&M as a defensive analyst before being hired this winter at CU for his first full-time coaching job.
While working at Georgia, Williams met Sanders while recruiting Sanders’ sons Shedeur and Shiloh. Shedeur is now CU’s quarterback and Shilo is expected to move this summer to play safety for the Buffs. On that recruiting visit to Georgia, Sanders told Williams he wanted to hire him one day.
“I can’t lie, it was in the back of my mind for years and I was hoping I would have the opportunity to come,” Williams said. “God answered those prayers and I got the call.”
Williams is much more prepared for the job now than when he spent the last few years working under national championship-winning coaches Kirby Smart (Georgia) and Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M). He is especially grateful for his last two seasons at A&M.
“Coach Fisher, he’s a great offensive mind,” Williams said. “I love watching film with Coach Fisher and just hearing the offensive perspective of why they do things. And then when I talk to (CU defensive coordinator Charles) Kelly, his take on how to stop what they want to do.
“I was in an incredible situation with coach Fisher. I learn a lot. When I’m with Coach Fisher, I just shut up and listen. He’s really, really, really smart. And he took care of me.”
Williams even credits his mentors for his recruiting reputation.
“People like to say that about me, but one thing is that I’ve had a lot of help and I’ve had elite coaches to help me recruit,” he said. “It’s not just me. I have an amazing wife; she builds great relationships with the parents of a lot of the recruits, and I have great coaches around me.”
Williams will now get a chance to work with and learn from Sanders, who is making the jump to the Power 5 level after winning SWAC Coach of the Year honors the past two years.
“It’s challenging, but I love change and I love challenges,” Williams said of starting a new job. “I’m in the company of many top coaches, so they make my job a lot easier. If I don’t know, I can just sit and watch. … It’s not extremely difficult when you’re around top coaches. My dad taught me growing up that it’s much better to look smart than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. A lot of times I just sit back and learn by watching older coaches who have been doing it a lot longer than me.
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Sources 2/ https://www.buffzone.com/2023/03/08/football-de-coach-nick-williams-excited-for-new-challenge-with-cu-buffs/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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