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2015 4* LB Darrell Williams commits to AU!

EagleDamnWar

By EagleDamnWar
in AU Recruiting Forum

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mcgufcm Founding Father

mcgufcm 4,096

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Last year, McKinzy was playing the same role as a standard weakside linebacker. Even if you consider the Star position to be a Safety (it's not purely a Safety), a standard nickel defense in the 4-3 scheme still features a middle and outside linebacker, not two "inside" backers.

Welcome Mr. Williams. You will never regret your choice.

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au_bsci_04 Founding Father

au_bsci_04 407

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Somewhere Mikey is rejoicing

:-\/> 4-4-5, right?

Back to Williams... War Eagle, Darrell!

:thumbsup:/> Good start! One LB down, three to go and we'll be about where we need to be this year.

He already have a LB commit in Sullivan, this makes 2...with a plethora of others in the fold (Holland, Josh Smith, Roquan Smith, McBryde, etc).

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ellitor Founding Father

ellitor 33,093

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Somewhere Mikey is rejoicing

:-\/> 4-4-5, right?

Back to Williams... War Eagle, Darrell!

:thumbsup:/> Good start! One LB down, three to go and we'll be about where we need to be this year.

He already have a LB commit in Sullivan, this makes 2...with a plethora of others in the fold (Holland, Josh Smith, Roquan Smith, McBryde, etc).

We took Sully as a Star recruit. It is well documented that some on here feel that's part of the safeties and others see it as an LB. Either way DW is the first commit in this classrecruited to play either the Mike or Will LB solely so for all intents and purposes DW is the first LB commit in this class.
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Mikey Founding Father

Mikey 16,599

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Posted

Somewhere Mikey is rejoicing

:-\/> 4-4-5, right?

Back to Williams... War Eagle, Darrell!

:thumbsup:/> Good start! One LB down, three to go and we'll be about where we need to be this year.

He already have a LB commit in Sullivan, this makes 2...with a plethora of others in the fold (Holland, Josh Smith, Roquan Smith, McBryde, etc).

Those guys are a long, long way from "in the fold". We need to get a few of them in the fold, but they certainly aren't there yet.

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au_bsci_04 Founding Father

au_bsci_04 407

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Somewhere Mikey is rejoicing

:-\/> 4-4-5, right?

Back to Williams... War Eagle, Darrell!

:thumbsup:/> Good start! One LB down, three to go and we'll be about where we need to be this year.

He already have a LB commit in Sullivan, this makes 2...with a plethora of others in the fold (Holland, Josh Smith, Roquan Smith, McBryde, etc).

Those guys are a long, long way from "in the fold". We need to get a few of them in the fold, but they certainly aren't there yet.

Short of committing, both Holland and McBryde have named us leaders, top 2 for Roquan...maybe our definition of "in the fold" is different?

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FHeal Veteran

FHeal 4

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Somewhere Mikey is rejoicing

:-\/> 4-4-5, right?

Back to Williams... War Eagle, Darrell!

:thumbsup:/> Good start! One LB down, three to go and we'll be about where we need to be this year.

He already have a LB commit in Sullivan, this makes 2...with a plethora of others in the fold (Holland, Josh Smith, Roquan Smith, McBryde, etc).

Those guys are a long, long way from "in the fold". We need to get a few of them in the fold, but they certainly aren't there yet.

Short of committing, both Holland and McBryde have named us leaders, top 2 for Roquan...maybe our definition of "in the fold" is different?

Counting them before they hatch, is the same with Eagle's, as with them that'd rather be chicken's doo too.

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RunInRed Founding Father

RunInRed 16,409

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"I'm pretty solid," Williams said. "I don't believe in that decommitment stuff. If you put yourself in a head coach's position and get somebody to commit you wouldn't want them to decommit on you. So I made sure (this) was the right decision so I wouldn't have to get myself in that position."

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/05/hoover_lb_darrell_williams_dis.html

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gravejd Founding Father

gravejd 3,270

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"Pretty" solid? Well that could have been worded better in my opinion, but hopefully his commitment will stick.

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JFDTiger80 Founding Father

JFDTiger80 790

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"I'm pretty solid," Williams said. "I don't believe in that decommitment stuff. If you put yourself in a head coach's position and get somebody to commit you wouldn't want them to decommit on you. So I made sure (this) was the right decision so I wouldn't have to get myself in that position."

http://www.al.com/sp...lliams_dis.html

RIR Thanks for posting this. Nice to see.

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Mikey Founding Father

Mikey 16,599

Posted
Posted

Somewhere Mikey is rejoicing

:-\/> 4-4-5, right?

Back to Williams... War Eagle, Darrell!

:thumbsup:/> Good start! One LB down, three to go and we'll be about where we need to be this year.

He already have a LB commit in Sullivan, this makes 2...with a plethora of others in the fold (Holland, Josh Smith, Roquan Smith, McBryde, etc).

Those guys are a long, long way from "in the fold". We need to get a few of them in the fold, but they certainly aren't there yet.

Short of committing, both Holland and McBryde have named us leaders, top 2 for Roquan...maybe our definition of "in the fold" is different?

My definition of "in the fold" is signed on NSD. Your definition would have had Callahan, Foster, Evans and A.J. Johnson in the fold, to name just a few LB's. Even calling a guy that's verbally committed and helping us recruit is a leap for "in the fold" IMHO.

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RunInRed Founding Father

RunInRed 16,409

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This is a really interesting read ...

HOOVER, Alabama -- Few high school football players can say they've been invited into the inner sanctums of two of the best coaches in the nation. Hoover's Darrell Williams is such a rare star.

The 6-foot-3, 226-pound linebacker, No. 4 on AL.com's 2015 A-List of the top seniors in the state, was wooed heavily by both Auburn and Alabama and thus had the opportunity to see Gus Malzahn and Nick Saban in ways the rest us do not.

"Coach Saban is hailed like a celebrity, and on TV he's straight and all-business," Williams says. "Growing up an Alabama fan, my first time in his office, I thought I was dreaming. He has trophies and stuff everywhere. It's decorated, you can dim the lights however you want them and he has a remote for everything. He's like a mini-president.

"We sat down, he picked up the remote, pressed a button and the door closed by itself. I wanted to listen to what he was saying, but I couldn't. I was just sitting there saying 'Yes sir, no sir.'"

Williams' visit with Malzahn was a bit different.

"Malzahn is a little more laid back, but I was still up there in terms of being happy," he says. "I was nervous in his office too. It was decorated like everyone else's, but more mellow. After the first five minutes, you're chilling and having a good time. He has a nice way of welcoming you.

"He was talking about how he was going to build the program back up and how he was going to do it the right way. Game by game, they were finding ways to win and he was doing everything he said he was going to do. That's a coach you want to play for."

Malzahn should be welcoming Williams to the Plains next fall as a member of Auburn's 2015 class. He committed in May after a whirlwind recruitment that included offers from Florida State, Mississippi State, Oklahoma and Tennessee - as well as Alabama.

Some schools are still trying to sway him. Williams says he remains committed to the Tigers, but he's listening.

"I'm being recruited," he says. "Even if I didn't commit to Auburn at that time, they were still my No. 1. Committing early might be a good thing, but I feel like I should have waited a little bit longer."

It didn't take Williams very long to show a knack for football. The youngest child born to Sherry Wells and Darrell Williams Sr., "D.J." showed signs of being a linebacker quite early.

"He was loving (football) before he realized it, at the age of 3 or 4," Wells says. "He would do things and look like a linebacker -- the way he would run into you when he got mad. He'd put his arm around my legs. I remember his dad would build the crates and he'd run into them."

"It's just in my blood to play sports," Williams says. "Out of life, in everything I do, football is just somewhere else I can go and have fun. I can get away from everything."

Born in Meridian, Miss., Williams and his mother moved to Hoover when he was seven years old and received his first exposure to the football-crazed city and state. He recalls flipping his Iron Bowl allegiances back and forth multiple times in elementary school.

"I was switching a lot, but as I got older I became an Alabama fan," he said.

Williams dreamed of playing for the Hoover Bucs on Friday nights --- and it didn't take long for the varsity coaches to catch wind of his potential.

"I've known Darrell since he was little," said Hoover head coach Josh Niblett. "I got to watch him develop not only as a football player, but as a young man. I feel like he's always been a leader and a good kid. He's always been driven and wanted to seek greatness, and that's what gives him an opportunity. He's just a great kid with a great personality and he understands right from wrong."

Williams got the chance to prove himself at the varsity level on Sept. 21, 2012, after a starting linebacker was dismissed from the team.

"We had Sunday practice and that day they told me I was going to start that week," Williams recalls, saying he "went off," in the 55-7 win, gaining at least 10 tackles. "One of my highlights was when I hit (Alabama signee) Bo Scarbrough and made him fumble and one of our players returned it for a touchdown."

Wells remembers her son's tunnel-vision focus that week.

"I tried to say 'Hi' to him before the game and he just gave me the hand," she says. "That was the night he showed me who he was and who he would become in the future."

Williams' name soon began to circulate in recruiting circles. Mississippi State was the first school to offer, and Auburn and Alabama shortly followed suit.

Last summer, Williams camped at Auburn for the first time and hit it off with Malzahn, who extended an offer that fall. Alabama offered Williams and two of his teammates, Bradrick Shaw and Christian Bell, all at once during a Junior Day visit. What followed the offers, however, Williams describes as "kind of tricky."

"They offered me, then I went up there for A-Day and I was about to commit, but Nick Saban had to go. (Alabama offensive line) Coach (Mario) Cristobal called me and said I had to go to their camp first. I hadn't planned on going to any camps other than Rivals or Nike camps.

"Coaches were telling me I needed to find a school and try to commit early. Alabama wanted to see me at camp and Auburn was showing me a lot of love. So I committed to Auburn on a Tuesday and then that Wednesday (defensive coordinator Kirby) Smart came to my practice with a camera and taped me doing drills and scrimmaging. He took the video back to Alabama and all the coaches watched it. Coach Saban called me and said, 'Forget the camp, I want you to come to Alabama.'"

According to Williams, Saban had originally wanted to see if he could play inside linebacker, because the defensive scheme he was in at Hoover was different than what the Crimson Tide runs. The Tide coach could have just asked Niblett.

"The length he has gives him a chance to play inside or outside, or whatever they need him to do," the Hoover coach says. "He's hybrid guy who can do both. He's a student of the game."

Nevertheless, Williams says Saban apologized and took the blame for the confusion. Wells believes her son handled the situation with maturity.

"(Darrell) completely understood," she says, "and didn't get angry or anything."

Looking back, Williams remembers the pressure he was under to make a commitment as spots were filling up quickly.

"I think everything happens for a reason," he said. "I don't regret anything."

With his commitment in the rear-view mirror, Williams is focused on his final season at Hoover. The Bucs are coming off back-to-back state championships and have won 30 consecutive games. He maintains a close relationship with his head coach and is expected to anchor the defense in 2014.

"(Niblett's) a real Christian man," Williams says. "He talks to me every day. He wants me to be better than I ever have been this year and wants me to step up and be a leader."

Wells says she will miss Niblett and the rest of the Hoover coaches, but is looking forward to what her son can accomplish in the sport.

"I know he'll only be a couple hours away," she says. "But I know he's going to be OK because of the maturity level he's carrying now. I know Coach Malzahn will take care of him."

http://www.al.com/sp...ommit_darr.html

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gravejd Founding Father

gravejd 3,270

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Saban with the remote control door is pretty funny. I have an image of doctor evil with the remote control chair going through my head right now! haha

Definitely some stuff in that article that would make one worry about holding onto the commitment should bama continue to recruit him hard. Hope we can hold onto him because he has that prototypical MLB size that we need. Stick with AU Derrell!

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aujeff11 Founding Father

aujeff11 6,243

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This is a really interesting read ...

HOOVER, Alabama -- Few high school football players can say they've been invited into the inner sanctums of two of the best coaches in the nation. Hoover's Darrell Williams is such a rare star.

The 6-foot-3, 226-pound linebacker, No. 4 on AL.com's 2015 A-List of the top seniors in the state, was wooed heavily by both Auburn and Alabama and thus had the opportunity to see Gus Malzahn and Nick Saban in ways the rest us do not.

"Coach Saban is hailed like a celebrity, and on TV he's straight and all-business," Williams says. "Growing up an Alabama fan, my first time in his office, I thought I was dreaming. He has trophies and stuff everywhere. It's decorated, you can dim the lights however you want them and he has a remote for everything. He's like a mini-president.

"We sat down, he picked up the remote, pressed a button and the door closed by itself. I wanted to listen to what he was saying, but I couldn't. I was just sitting there saying 'Yes sir, no sir.'"

Williams' visit with Malzahn was a bit different.

"Malzahn is a little more laid back, but I was still up there in terms of being happy," he says. "I was nervous in his office too. It was decorated like everyone else's, but more mellow. After the first five minutes, you're chilling and having a good time. He has a nice way of welcoming you.

"He was talking about how he was going to build the program back up and how he was going to do it the right way. Game by game, they were finding ways to win and he was doing everything he said he was going to do. That's a coach you want to play for."

Malzahn should be welcoming Williams to the Plains next fall as a member of Auburn's 2015 class. He committed in May after a whirlwind recruitment that included offers from Florida State, Mississippi State, Oklahoma and Tennessee - as well as Alabama.

Some schools are still trying to sway him. Williams says he remains committed to the Tigers, but he's listening.

"I'm being recruited," he says. "Even if I didn't commit to Auburn at that time, they were still my No. 1. Committing early might be a good thing, but I feel like I should have waited a little bit longer."

It didn't take Williams very long to show a knack for football. The youngest child born to Sherry Wells and Darrell Williams Sr., "D.J." showed signs of being a linebacker quite early.

"He was loving (football) before he realized it, at the age of 3 or 4," Wells says. "He would do things and look like a linebacker -- the way he would run into you when he got mad. He'd put his arm around my legs. I remember his dad would build the crates and he'd run into them."

"It's just in my blood to play sports," Williams says. "Out of life, in everything I do, football is just somewhere else I can go and have fun. I can get away from everything."

Born in Meridian, Miss., Williams and his mother moved to Hoover when he was seven years old and received his first exposure to the football-crazed city and state. He recalls flipping his Iron Bowl allegiances back and forth multiple times in elementary school.

"I was switching a lot, but as I got older I became an Alabama fan," he said.

Williams dreamed of playing for the Hoover Bucs on Friday nights --- and it didn't take long for the varsity coaches to catch wind of his potential.

"I've known Darrell since he was little," said Hoover head coach Josh Niblett. "I got to watch him develop not only as a football player, but as a young man. I feel like he's always been a leader and a good kid. He's always been driven and wanted to seek greatness, and that's what gives him an opportunity. He's just a great kid with a great personality and he understands right from wrong."

Williams got the chance to prove himself at the varsity level on Sept. 21, 2012, after a starting linebacker was dismissed from the team.

"We had Sunday practice and that day they told me I was going to start that week," Williams recalls, saying he "went off," in the 55-7 win, gaining at least 10 tackles. "One of my highlights was when I hit (Alabama signee) Bo Scarbrough and made him fumble and one of our players returned it for a touchdown."

Wells remembers her son's tunnel-vision focus that week.

"I tried to say 'Hi' to him before the game and he just gave me the hand," she says. "That was the night he showed me who he was and who he would become in the future."

Williams' name soon began to circulate in recruiting circles. Mississippi State was the first school to offer, and Auburn and Alabama shortly followed suit.

Last summer, Williams camped at Auburn for the first time and hit it off with Malzahn, who extended an offer that fall. Alabama offered Williams and two of his teammates, Bradrick Shaw and Christian Bell, all at once during a Junior Day visit. What followed the offers, however, Williams describes as "kind of tricky."

"They offered me, then I went up there for A-Day and I was about to commit, but Nick Saban had to go. (Alabama offensive line) Coach (Mario) Cristobal called me and said I had to go to their camp first. I hadn't planned on going to any camps other than Rivals or Nike camps.

"Coaches were telling me I needed to find a school and try to commit early. Alabama wanted to see me at camp and Auburn was showing me a lot of love. So I committed to Auburn on a Tuesday and then that Wednesday (defensive coordinator Kirby) Smart came to my practice with a camera and taped me doing drills and scrimmaging. He took the video back to Alabama and all the coaches watched it. Coach Saban called me and said, 'Forget the camp, I want you to come to Alabama.'"

According to Williams, Saban had originally wanted to see if he could play inside linebacker, because the defensive scheme he was in at Hoover was different than what the Crimson Tide runs. The Tide coach could have just asked Niblett.

"The length he has gives him a chance to play inside or outside, or whatever they need him to do," the Hoover coach says. "He's hybrid guy who can do both. He's a student of the game."

Nevertheless, Williams says Saban apologized and took the blame for the confusion. Wells believes her son handled the situation with maturity.

"(Darrell) completely understood," she says, "and didn't get angry or anything."

Looking back, Williams remembers the pressure he was under to make a commitment as spots were filling up quickly.

"I think everything happens for a reason," he said. "I don't regret anything."

With his commitment in the rear-view mirror, Williams is focused on his final season at Hoover. The Bucs are coming off back-to-back state championships and have won 30 consecutive games. He maintains a close relationship with his head coach and is expected to anchor the defense in 2014.

"(Niblett's) a real Christian man," Williams says. "He talks to me every day. He wants me to be better than I ever have been this year and wants me to step up and be a leader."

Wells says she will miss Niblett and the rest of the Hoover coaches, but is looking forward to what her son can accomplish in the sport.

"I know he'll only be a couple hours away," she says. "But I know he's going to be OK because of the maturity level he's carrying now. I know Coach Malzahn will take care of him."

http://www.al.com/sp...ommit_darr.html

He is definitely a recruit to keep an eye on. I read on the rant the other day that Tide commit Mekhi Brown is recruiting him hard.

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