After college career, Williams has found identity

In 2004, Julius Williams was a nobody.

A one-star recruit, not only was he not one of the top 100 recruits in the state of Georgia, he wasn't even the highest rated recruit out of his hometown of Decatur, Ga. That honor went to fellow linebacker Kevin Washington out of Southwest Dekalb High School.

Williams, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound prospect had split time at tight end and outside linebacker in high school, but lacked the size and strength to wow coaches at the next level. Washington received offers from four Division I schools while Williams received, and accepted, his lone offer from UConn.

Five years later, Williams has grown two inches, tacked on 60 pounds - mostly muscle - and has a chance to be one of five players in his incoming recruitment class to go on to play in the NFL. At the Huskies' Pro Day last Wednesday, Williams proved his worth, busting out 36 reps on the bench press, leaping an impressive 41 inches in the vertical and running a blistering 4.61 in the 40-yard-dash.

Despite the hours of effort Williams has exhausted in the weight room, he still points to coach Randy Edsall for motivating him, teaching him the facets of the game and bringing him to the point where he is today.

"It's all because of Randy Edsall and the way he taught us and the way he's been running the program," said Williams. "Freshman year [our program] wasn't that big, but he brought us all up. He knew what it takes to be in the NFL, he was a coach there, and he brought that to us."

Williams, who missed going to the NFL combine by a single vote, was watched intently by scouts from several NFL teams and his eye popping numbers, specifically 36 reps in the bench press, garnered him some additional looks. Thirty-six reps on the bench would have put him second at the Combine, behind only Michigan defensive tackle Terrance Taylor, who pounded out 37.

In addition to proving his strength, his impressive vertical leap - 41 inches - would have been far and away the best at the Combine and shows his ability to be a factor defending the pass, an important skill he'll require as he makes the shift from defensive end to outside linebacker at the next level.

According to Williams, all the NFL scouts he's talked with and his trainer at Athletic Edge, Mike Gough, see him fitting into pro teams as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defensive scheme.

"A lot of guys want to see me play at linebacker on the next level," Williams said. "It's all about building yourself up and being flexible."

Williams' training at Athletic Edge took a unique spin on improving his flexibility, with weekly yoga sessions to build core strength.

"Yoga's a lot harder than you think it is," Williams said. "You think 'aw man I'm just going to go out and stretch a little bit', but it's pretty intense. I sweated more in yoga than I did some days lifting."

Williams also learned specific techniques on how to improve his 40-yard-dash time and worked on the bench press everyday, raising his bench high from 31 at the end of his senior season to 36 by the time Pro Day rolled around.

After earning a starting position his senior year, Williams took full advantage, racking up 11 tackles for loss and six sacks in 13 games played - second only to fellow defensive end Cody Brown in both categories.

Whatever awaits him at the next level of competition, Williams is eager to get out on the field and compete. As shown by his off-season work ethic, Williams is making every possible effort to find himself in the elusive position of being on the roster of one of nation's 32 NFL teams. Given his performance Wednesday, it's quite possible.

Five years after he was a nobody, a scrawny 18-year-old who didn't know whether he would play tight end or defensive end in college and recruit who was largely ignored by most coaches, including those in his own state, Williams has found his identity.

Ask Julius Williams now who he is and he has no problem revealing it.

"I have and always will be a football player," Williams said. "I've been playing this game my whole life and I don't want to stop after college."