Second-year surge: Georgia DE Mykel Williams
It’s summertime in Athens and Kirby Smart’s eighth Georgia football team is putting in a lot of work behind closed doors. The entire 2023 class has arrived on campus and the Bulldogs are marching toward history.
A third consecutive National Championship, in the modern era, is unprecedented. But so was a back-to-back titles in the playoff era. In order for Georgia to stay on top of the mountain, it’ll have to rely on some players heading into their second season.
With that in mind, DawgsHQ is rolling out a series where we look at every scholarship player who is entering year two. Today we wrap up the series with a look a guy who led Georgia in a major statistical category last season.
DE Mykel Williams
Size: 6-foot-5, 265 pounds
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 6 overall, No. 2 defensive lineman, No. 2 in Georgia.
2022 Stats: Williams played in all 15 games last season with two starts. He led Georgia in sacks with 4.5 on the season and had on in each of Georgia’s College Football Playoff victories. Williams finished the season with 28 total tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss,
Williams strengths and weaknesses…
The Columbus, Ga. native is a naturally gifted football player with an elite frame. He possesses ideal length to play on the edge. Williams is a heavy-handed player with tremendous short-area quickness for a guy who tips the scales at over 270 pounds.
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Other big-time strengths include motor, bend, natural pass-rush ability, and hip flexibility. Williams is also versatile enough to play multiple positions up front. He can rush from a two-point or a three-point stance. Whether it’s outside linebacker, four-technique, or over the center, Williams can make an impact on every down.
The one area where he must improve is his hand usage. It’s inconsistent at times. He lets offensive tackles into his body at time and that shouldn’t happen very much at all with his type of length. Williams has to develop a better punch and use it more often.
The Buzz…
Williams didn’t get much work this spring. He entered with a foot injury and the medical staff shut him down a couple of weeks in. Surgery was needed to repair the ailment and Williams missed the final few weeks. According to Kirby Smart at SEC Media Days, Williams will be good to go to start preseason camp. But make no mistake about it, so long as he’s healthy, he’s a huge part of Georgia’s plans.
In 2023…
Williams is going to team up with Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Tramel Walthour at defensive end. Georgia would do well to try and find ways to get him and Ingram-Dawkins on the field at the same time because they’re similar players who can disrupt. Williams will play a ton of snaps and wear different hats for the Bulldogs because that’s what’s best for the defense.
