Focus for sophomore in spring getting stronger, more physical
When sophomore Brison Williams found out that senior DeVonte Holloman would be moving to the spur linebacker position, his initial reaction was that he had to show the coaches he was ready to be the starter at the strong safety position.
And while part of the proof will come in his play on the field, Williams said he also has to prove he can stay out of trouble and that he’s not going to hurt his team on the field after he was suspended for a violation of team rules prior to spring practice.
Now that Williams is back on the field, his focus has shifted to evolving into a player deserving of a starting spot. He said he hasn’t talked to Holloman about playing strong safety, but learned a lot from just watching him.
“I think I’m just doing a lot of stuff that I didn’t do last year,” Williams said. “I’m going through my assignments and know what to do. I know the playbook better — a lot better than I did last year.”
Williams had a sluggish start because he suffered a broken arm in fall camp, which caused him to be out for the first four games of the year. He made his first start of the year against Florida after Holloman suffered a concussion. Williams said he was nervous for his first start, and the hardest part was knowing all of the coverages.
“It was good that I got a start, so I know how it will be this year,” Williams said.
Williams said the big thing for him through spring is playing more physically and tackling better, which practically translates to getting “a lot more hands on the receivers.” With the common theme in spring practice being that the offense has been sluggish, the defense’s performance is the upside, which is fairly normal because offenses can take longer to find chemistry.
USC coach Steve Spurrier doesn’t see it the same way.
“No, not really,” Spurrier said about offenses typically starting slow. “Connor (Shaw) has been doing OK. Dylan (Thompson) and Seth (Strickland) have been doing pretty well. We’ve been playing a lot of guys, and it hasn’t been real pretty.”
Though the battle for the backup quarterback spot may not be resolved until August, the stable of quarterbacks are used to criticism from the head coach, who used to be a quarterback himself.
“He’s always been like that,” Shaw said. “That’s why we come to play for him. He’s only going to get you better.”
Just as the quarterbacks expect the criticism from Spurrier, the secondary expects it from defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward, who still specializes in the secondary even after his promotion following the departure of former associate head coach of defense Ellis Johnson to Southern Miss for the head coaching position there.
Williams said Ward talked to him about staying out of trouble, but Ward sees Williams’ improvement as a bright spot in the already strong defensive play. Ward said Williams is faster and in better shape, so the only thing for him in the spring is to get stronger, “so he’ll be tough.”
“He’s feeling comfortable,” Ward said. “He knows that he’s the guys and he’s taking it and not sitting up and saying, ‘I’ve got the job.’ He’s working hard to get better every day.”
In a spring where some of the focus has been on where players haven’t met expectations, Williams has done enough to prove he is worthy of being listed as the No. 1 strong safety on the depth chart, but could also be more.
“The sky’s the limit for Brison,” Ward said.