Highly touted RB recruit Williams adjusting to safety

Published 12:06 am Saturday, August 25, 2007

SEATTLE — Before the start of Washington’s fall camp, freshman Nate Williams, who was recruited as a tailback, walked into Huskies coach Tyrone Willingham’s office and decided he was ready for a change.

Williams, a two-way star at Burien’s Kennedy High School, was ready to give up the glory of touchdowns to play safety.

Three weeks later, the move is paying off. Williams is already factoring into the team’s defensive plans and is expected to earn playing time this season.

“I’m feeling good about it,” said Williams, who has been working with the second and third team defenses. “I’m making a lot of progress. Just getting the tempo of the game down and the speed of it down.”

Not only has defensive backs coach J.D. Williams helped Williams learn the defensive side of the ball, but the more experienced safeties ahead of him have also shared their knowledge. The projected starters, Jason Wells at free safety and Mesphin Forrester at strong safety, both bring game experience they can share with new players like Williams.

“We’ve got to carry our weight and help the young guys out,” said Forrester. “We’ve got to be there for them and show them the ropes.”

Last year, Forrester was learning the ropes from C.J. Wallace. Now he is ready to show what he can do.

“I’m definitely ready to have a big year,” said Forrester. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time now. Playing behind C.J. Wallace, I learned a lot from him and from my coach, J.D. Williams. I have some game experience and I’m ready to get out there and help my team.”

While Wells and Forrester look like Washington’s present at safety, coaches seem to think Williams will be a big part of the future.

“Nate’s going to be a good player,” said J.D. Williams. “Actually, he’s going to be a great player.

“I don’t know how much he’ll play this year, but he will play some this year. He’ll continue to get better, and I’d say watch out in the spring to those guys in front of him, because he’s going to be a big-time player.”

And for Williams, the glory of being a ball carrier may not be completely over.

“I’ll just have to get some picks so I can get back into running back mode,” he said.

Positive returns: Freshman tailback Brandon Johnson has been praised by coaches for his hard running style, and could factor into the team’s return game. He has been taking kickoff and punt returns in practice, and reportedly returned a punt for a touchdown in Thursday’s scrimmage.

“He’s a way better inside runner than we thought,” said offensive coordinator Tim Lappano. “He’s pretty sturdy, but in high school he was one of those guys off tackle, outside, who outran everybody. But he runs the ball up in there hard for a smaller guy. He can hit the hole quick. He’s got instant acceleration, he’s very physical inside. He could eventually be that third and short guy, because he slams it in there like you’re supposed to.”

Injury report: Cornerback Byron Davenport is still battling a hamstring injury, as is receiver Cody Ellis. When asked about Davenport’s chances of playing next week, defensive coordinator Kent Baer said that he didn’t “see any way he’s going to be in there.”

That means walk-on Cory Nicol and freshman Vonzell McDowell are the likely candidates to start at corner opposite Roy Lewis.

Freshman tailback Brandon Yakaboski wore a red jersey today. He is apparently recovering from a concussion.

Tailback J.R. Hasty appeared to have some sort of ankle or foot injury and was riding a stationary bike at practice.

No gold: Unlike last week, when as many as four players earned gold jerseys for their hard work in practice, no one has claimed that honor during the third week of camp.

“We’re still working well,” said Tyrone Willingham. “Just not that excellence, that exceptional performance.”