'He's got the ability': Dee Williams brings back confidence as Tennessee's punt returner
After Dee Williams fielded the punt and split the Vanderbilt return team, running directly over the Vanderbilt logo at midfield during his 73-yard return for a touchdown, he got the end zone and pulled up, grabbed his left hamstring and started limping.
Tennessee football’s electric punt returner wasn’t hurt, though. He was celebrating, breaking into a dance with his teammates after feigning injury.
After practice Saturday morning, Williams was asked what he had lined up for his next touchdown celebration.
“I have some work coming up,” Williams said. “I can’t (say). I’ll get to that once that happens this year.”
Once it happens. Not if it happens.
That’s the kind of confidence Williams brings to the punt return position in his second season with the Vols.
“He is confident,” special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler said on Saturday, “he understands his role. He’s gonna (have) an opportunity to be the best return guy in the country and he’s earned that.
“He’s got the instinct, he’s got the ability.”
Dee Williams in 2022: 15 returns, 281 yards, 1 TD
Williams in nine games last season returned 15 punts for 281 yards, averaging 18.7 yards per return and 31.2 return yards per game. The 73-yarder at Vanderbilt was his long on the season.
After missing time early in the year with a hamstring injury, Williams caught his first punt at LSU in October and took it back 58 yards before being brought down at the 26-yard line.
“It’s like an offense when you’ve got a great running back,” Ekeler said, “your offensive line blocks a little bit harder. They know all they gotta do is just give you a crease. And that’s what those guys understand on our return units.
“All they gotta do is let them get it started and you’ll do the rest.”
Getting started is left up to Williams. To signal for a fair catch or set up a return is left up to him while the punt is in the air.
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“Really it’s just all about awareness and locating the ball,” Williams said. “Sometimes you’ll get in certain positions to where, when you’re in between, taking a chance of running with the ball or fair catching it. So I just go back there and just take a deep breath and just do my job and try not to panic in certain (situations).”
‘You want to be able to put the offense in a better position’
He leans on what he has always been taught as a punt returner, starting at East Central Mississippi Community College before making the move to Tennessee.
You don’t have to be the hero. You don’t have to make a play every time.
Especially at Tennessee, Williams added. His biggest goal is to give Josh Heupel’s offense the best possible starting field position following a punt.
“Once I got here, it just clicked,” Williams said. “I realized you want to be able to put the offense in a better position. So you don’t always have to be the hero. The chances that you do have, you should take advantage of it.”
He’s taking advantage of the preseason and fall camp as much as he can, bringing confidence to the position and getting a head start on his senior season after missing the first four games last year.
“Really just lock in on your keys every day and just going out there and focusing on the small things first,” Williams said. “That’s all that matters. It can get scary back there sometimes, but it is just all like having confidence in yourself and depending on your teammates to protect you whenever you get the ball.”
