A redshirt freshman who was “supposed to” play sparingly this fall behind Durrell Eskridge, Rodney Williams is instead slotted to start for the Orange at free safety, and he looks ready.
Of course it was just a scrimmage, but Williams flew around the field Saturday night at the SU Fan Fest event, picking up multiple tackles to go along with 2 interceptions. Williams is incredibly talented and is finally ready to make the most of that talent after sitting out last year with an injury.
After the practice Saturday night, coach Shafer said that Williams would have played last year as a true freshman, something not many defensive players are able to do. Shafer was very impressed with Williams, saying that he played well in the scrimmage, much like he had in the scrimmage last year.
The potential emergence of Rodney Williams is crucial to this team’s success. Think about the losses the Orange has incurred on the defensive side of the ball. There are just two returning starters, and the secondary that struggled last year has just one member returning—Julian Whigham. And those losses became even more magnified last week when Ron Thompson went out with an injury.
If Williams can come in and just fill one of the spots vacated by an early exit of graduating player, that will go a long way in helping the SU defense this season. No doubt, there will be a drop off from last year’s defense that was at times a top 30 defense in the country, but if Williams can play well that drop off could be better controlled.
Posted By: Seth Goldberg
