James Williams after Tuesday practice: Miami D has things to work on but everyone competing, want to be pushed

If you are looking for the perfect “Weird Science” version of a defensive star, James Williams is that guy. At 6-5 and 224 pounds he runs like a safety, hits like a linebacker and has the coverage skills of a cornerback.

So he’s going to have a multiple role in the Kevin Steele defense, likely moving around with a lot of opportunities to make plays all over the field.

Williams said after Tuesday’s practice that his goal remains the same: The one-day-at-a-time approach, getting better every rep and every day.

“(The first game is) less than two weeks but we’re focused on 1-0 every day,” Williams said. “Just focused on today.”

Williams flashed last year as an All-ACC Honorable Mention selection as a true freshman safety in 2021 when he played in 10 games and made seen starts. He ended with 31 tackles, a shared TFL and two interceptions. Arguably his best game was against Pittsburgh when he had a career-high nine tackles and an interception. Williams missed the final two games due to injury.

Out of Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage, Williams was ranked a 5-star prospect and had offers from every top program in the nation.

Williams finished with an outstanding 78.1 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus last year and if the ball’s in the air near him there’s always going to be a chance he comes down with it given his size, speed, athleticism and natural ball skills.

The lone real negative was his tackling. In 384 reps, Williams graded out a substandard 47.9 in tackling. About 65 is average.

But, again, he was just in his first year.

That will be improved this year.

And it won’t just be Williams that can be a standout young safety. He’s one of a trio, along with Kam Kinchens and Avantae Williams. Kinchens and Avantae are competing to start alongside James.

James says they all critique each other’s play and help give pointers, and that “we don’t worry about who is starting.”

“We all want to push each other, watch each other as we come off the sideline,” James said. “They help me, and they don’t even know my position. They help me understand what I have to do right. We’re all trying to build on each other.

“Whoever I’m on the field with, we’re all dangerous because we all got the mindset that we are going to dominate one play at a time and be great together.

“We just want to play together, have a good rotation, the three of us. We’re focused on getting better each and every day.”

A big question is how new coordinator Kevin Steele will use Williams.

Can he also be a great linebacker and benefit from tighter tackling windows? Yes, yes, yes. And while coordinator Steele is quick to point out that he views Williams as purely a safety, which is where Williams wants to play, he also said he can see using him in the box a bit with the other two safeties behind him. Semantics a bit when it comes to that vs. Williams being a LB?

Perhaps.

But in the end it’ll be whatever is best for the defense.

Williams acknowledged today that all three safeties could play together. And he says big picture that his side of the ball “has a lot of things to work on.”

“A lot of little things, details to clean up,” he said.

Williams added that “I love everybody on the field, the ones, twos and threes. Everybody is competing, everybody wants to get somewhere, wants to be pushed. We are all as one, playing together.”

* Of Avantae Williams, James said, “He wants to hit, is into the game. He wants to just be great. He wants to get better every day.”

He  added of QB Tyler Van Dyke that “I see a warrior, someone who wants to lead the team to greatness. And I love that. All fall camp I’ve been talking to him, on him to make sure he’s on his highest level. I make sure he’s at his highest level because everybody from the start coming in is trying to boost his head up. my job is to keep him humble, focused on what he has to do.”