Texas safety Derek Williams out for the year, where the staff goes from here
At his Monday press conference, Texas head football coach Steve Sarkisian broke the news nobody wanted to hear — talented safety Derek Williams will have surgery and miss the remainder of the year after being injured Saturday at the Cotton Bowl. Sark did not disclose the exact injury.
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Williams, a sophomore from New Iberia (La.), was a key figure in Texas’ safety rotation both this year and last. He was having a strong game against OU before being injured on kickoff coverage.
Though Texas is talented at safety, the room is now noticeably thinner. Mainstays include junior Michael Taaffe, senior Andrew Mukuba, and emerging sophomore Jelani McDonald. Beyond that, there’s little experience. True freshman Jordon Johnson-Rubell has played both safety and Star, but only when games were out of hand.
Williams’ injury brings into question how safeties coach Blake Gideon and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski will address the loss. They could tighten the rotation between Taaffe, Mukuba, and McDonald. They could play Johnson-Rubell more. Or, they could perhaps play Jahdae Barron there, though, that would weaken cornerback despite Gavin Holmes being a capable player.
JJ-R has received quite a bit of praise dating back to the spring. If the staff has him cross-training between safety and Star that tells you they believe he can handle a pretty difficult curriculum.
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For my money, I believe they’ll tighten the rotation during the biggest games, like the one upcoming against Georgia, and then lax the rotation against perceived lesser opponents to get younger players more experience.
While Texas has ways to mitigate the loss, Williams is indeed a loss. A high four-star recruit from southern Louisiana, Williams was a major victory for Terry Joseph and Gideon over LSU. Despite being a late enrollee as a freshman, he found early playing time at a mentally demanding position. He flashed high-end traits, including, length, closing speed, and striking ability, on numerous occasions. He came into this season with high hopes and was having his best game of the season on Saturday before the injury.
He finishes the year with 11 tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
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If you’re looking for a silver lining, due to missing two games earlier in the season, Williams only played in four games this year and will be able to redshirt.
