Max Williams is all the way back

After last season’s on-field results and several months of an offseason dominated by talk of change and transition, every USC player hit the practice field last week eager to get spring ball kicked off and play some real football. But there might not have been a Trojan with a bigger spring in his step coming up the All-American Walk than defensive back Max Williams.

The redshirt junior was set to play a significant role in the USC secondary last season but suffered an ACL tear early in spring ball. He was lost for the season, the second time in four years an ACL injury robbed him of a year of football. Williams tore the same ACL in the first game of his senior season at Gardena (Calif.) Serra High School.

Williams made an incredible comeback from that initial knee injury to play in four games and register two starts as a true freshman at USC. A similar return from this most recent injury was expected, but mainly because of Williams’ mindset and mentality. And the fact that he’d already proven he could do it.

He said he did rehab work two or three times a day on his own in addition to the work he was getting from trainers. It was no surprise to hear consistently that he was ahead of schedule in his potential return.

That all led to this past Tuesday, when Williams was a full participant in USC’s first practice of spring ball. He’s been cleared for a little while But he said that day was the first time he felt fully back.

“Getting out here, being able to compete,” Williams said. “Being able to do everything…I felt good all last year. I felt good, felt back. But I actually felt back Tuesday when I was able to compete with my teammates.”

Williams recalled getting ready for that practice and making his way to the field.

“It felt surreal,” he said. “It felt great, felt awesome. I’m confident. I felt really good out here. It’s just a blessing to be back out here and healthy again.”

Williams’ 2021 Decision

Williams had a decision to make late last season. Thanks to his relentless assault on the rehab process, he received clearance during the season and could have been back on the field for the season’s final four games.

“Initially, I was pushing to play,” Williams said. “I checked all the checkmarks to be able to play. I had the strength, I had the mobility, I was looking good.”

At that point in the season, Williams was wearing full pads while he did conditioning during practice in order to reacclimate himself to that feeling. He said he and his parents had conversations with the doctors every day in order to weigh all his options. Ultimately, they felt it was best to give him some more time to recover.

“It was more so my decision,” Williams said. “Talking to all the doctors, the trainers, the coaches, it was just in my best interest to wait until next season.”

With the work Williams put in to get back, it’s entirely understandable he’d want to provide himself the best possible situation to fully return to the field. The workouts he’d go through on the side during practices last year were grueling. He said his player load, calculated by the Catapult GPS vests, was always one of the highest on the team.

Looking Ahead to 2022

Williams said there’s no looking back at this point. He and head coach Lincoln Riley spoke this offseason about his return. Williams said this new staff watched his film from 2019 and 2020 and know what he can provide. So with his place on the roster secure, it’s all about staying healthy and moving forward.

It’s easy to assume that after two injuries to the same knee, there could be a constant concern about it happening again. Williams said that’s not in his head.

“I kind of blocked it out early in the process, actually,” Williams said, adding that he never wore a knee brace throughout his rehab. “It happened twice. So I just have to put the work in. And I feel like I put the work in for it to not happen again. Working on the stuff I need to work on.”

Williams is a potential starter at nickel for the Trojans this season. That was a spot manned by Greg Johnson last season. True freshmen Calen Bullock and Jaylin Smith also saw time there. Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is plenty familiar with how to use a player like Williams. He had a very similar player in Brendan Radley-Hiles at Oklahoma, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound safety/corner hybrid who started 13 games in 2019 and eight in 2020. His ability to cover in space and serve as a surprisingly stout anchor against the run is the same combination Williams brings to the roster. Williams is also 5-foot-9, 180 pounds. And he has a history of making plays whenever he’s on the field.

As a true freshman in 2019, he had six tackles, a sack and forced fumble in four games. In 2020, he had 22 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, and a deflection in six games. Fully healthy again, Williams expects to be a major contributor this season. He’s looking forward to USC fans getting an opportunity to see him play again. He was asked what he wants to show Trojan fans this season.

“Mad Max out there going to make plays,” Williams said. “Feeling great again, feeling healthy, feeling confident.”