Williams Is Still A Man On A Mission
CHAPEL HILL - Javonte Williams still has a point to prove.
The sophomore running back first arrived in Chapel Hill in Jan. 2018 having received just one Division One scholarship offer, which was from North Carolina. Despite his list of accomplishments at Wallace-Rose Hill High School, including four-straight 2A state championships, Williams was overlooked by most.
Still, that didn’t stop Larry Fedora and his staff from offering the 5-foot-11, 205-pound running back and playing him in all 11 games last season. And, while he was quiet early on, Williams came into his own toward the end of the Fedora era, rushing for 93 yards and two touchdowns against Western Carolina before an 83-yard, one-touchdown performance in the season finale against N.C. State.
With his sophomore season on the horizon, Williams is already impressing the new regime just like he did the last, particularly after the spring game when he rushed for a team-high 51 yards and one touchdown.
“He’s made some of the bigger plays this spring that we’ve had,” UNC head coach Mack Brown said. “And he’s got the unusual ability to be able to take the ball off tackle and make four yards or bounce it outside and make 80, and that’s just who he is. I think he’s really good.”
A holdover from the previous staff, running backs coach Robert Gillespie worked with Williams a year ago and sees his obvious talent when he steps onto the football field.
“(He’s) very smart, very detailed. He catches the ball well, he runs the ball well, he has great pad level, he’s a dominate blocker,” Gillespie said. “He’s just a complete back so everything for him is going to get better and better and better as he gets reps.”
The fact that the coaching staff has such high hopes for Williams is a great sign, especially when you look at the experienced talent he has around him in Antonio Williams and Michael Carter. It would be easy for the coaches to praise one of the upperclassmen instead, and both players have drawn heavy compliments from Brown, but they’ve also gushed about the Teachey, NC, native even more, which has helped Williams gain a solid sense of self.
“I think my confidence (has grown the most) because, last year, I started getting more confidence towards the end of the season,” Williams said. “And this year, I just feel like I’m good enough to play here, so my confidence is just sky high now.”
Just because his confidence is up now doesn’t mean it always was. A 4.0 GPA student in high school, Williams admitted after the Western Carolina game last year that he was planning on enrolling at UNC regardless of whether or not he received a football scholarship. He wanted to be a Tar Heel since he was young and now, looking back, the fact that he’s one of the most exciting players to watch going into the 2019 season shows just how much things have changed in less than two years.
“I just thank God because I know that’s where everything's coming from,” Williams said. “And just my mom and my support system keeping me up and making sure I’m straight because many times you want to give up, but I just kept going and everything's starting to fall into place now.”
With a new era of UNC football set to kickoff in just more than two months, Williams will be a big part of the Tar Heels’ offense. He knows it, his coaches know it and so do his teammates, and most would agree the best is yet to come for a player that was once deemed not good enough to play at this level by almost every college coach in America.
“Javonte’s a dog. I’m excited to be able to play with him for two years and kind of help guide him and mentor him a little bit and teach him the game of football,” said Antonio Williams. “I think he’s going to be a ridiculous running back here at Carolina this year and whenever I’m gone. I’m excited for his career.”
A lot of people are excited about what Williams may do for the Tar Heels, but his focus hasn't changed, as he wants to keep showing what he can do.