Bloomington Leader

‘Not Done’ -- Cornerback Jaylin Williams Back for More

It was unfair, this football practice role reversal that saw Jaylin Williams lined up as a receiver against an Indiana defensive teammate set up for mission impossible.

Cover Williams?

Are you kidding?

Williams is an All-Big Ten cornerback with six career interceptions and 23 passes defended. 

But he once was a dynamic Tennessee high school wide receiver good enough to total 92 catches for 1,968 yards and 22 touchdowns over his final two seasons.

Head coach Tom Allen's quest to produce more takeaways includes drills in which defensive backs work on their receiving skills.

A few minutes earlier, on a cold, gloomy Saturday morning that pushed practice into the Mellencamp Pavilion, defensive back Nicholas Grieser had made a spectacular one-handed catch against tight coverage in the far corner of the end zone during one of those drills. Defensive players had erupted in a swarming celebration.

Now it was Williams' turn. He unleashed a couple of knee-buckling moves to do Barry Sanders proud. That got him open for another end-zone corner catch and another defensive celebration.

Allen, still bothered by IU's plunge from the Big Ten's 2020 interception leader to one of the conference's worst in 2021, was very pleased.

"With Coach Allen, one of the first things he wanted to reemphasize and get back in motion was takeaways," Williams says. "He wants to get those takeaways and create those takeaways. We're battling to get back to where we were, and we will."

Williams, a two-time All-Big Ten selection with 112 career tackles, will play a huge role.

Although he broke up 11 passes last season, he didn't have an interception after having at least one in his first three years. It's one of the reasons why he took advantage of the COVID-created opportunity for a fifth college season. Another was IU slumping from 6-2 in 2020 to 2-10 last season.

"I felt like I wasn't done. It is not in me to just run away from the grind.

"Coming off the season that we had, that just gave me even more reason to stay. It made me want to stay even more. I am not done here with my time at IU. I just want to show the world what we can do."

It starts with rebuilding the culture that produced a 14-7 record with consecutive bowl appearances in 2019 and '20.

"It is important that everyone was on the same page and that we all had the confidence within ourselves and within the team that we could go out there and execute the way we can," Williams says. "I feel like the best teams are player-led and we have to instill that.

"That is one thing that is changing this year from last year. In the past, we all held each other accountable. It wasn't on the coaches to do that. It was on the players; it was on us. That is one thing, for me, about becoming more of a leader and not only holding myself accountable, but everybody else."

All-America cornerback Taiwan Mullen also returns after an injury-plagued 2021. Also back in the secondary are Noah Pierre, who Allen called the "MVP of the defense this spring," Josh Sanguinetti, Lem Watley-Neely, and Jonathan Haynes (an Ole Miss transfer who redshirted last season because of injuries).

Pierre has emerged as a leading contender to be IU's third cornerback behind Mullen and Williams, with Watley-Neely and Haynes very much in the mix.

"Lem Watley is a guy that had missed some time, got injured, hasn't seen a lot of him in the past," Allen says. "I've really been encouraged by the way he's practiced and recovered from a season-ending injury last year. He has good burst, good size and is a really physical tackler."

As for Haynes, "When he got into fall camp (last year), he was one of our most gifted athletes on the entire team. Then he had the Achilles issue and never got to where he was able to play, so we ended up redshirting him, and now he's back. He's another guy to me that adds a lot of depth."

Having so many secondary veterans return, Williams says, "Helps a lot. It shows how much we love this team and want it to be the best it can be. It's great that we're all still here wanting the best for IU."

It all led to fierce spring practice competition that will continue through the summer and fall camp.

"Everybody has been fighting for the spot," Williams says. "It's been a very competitive (cornerbacks) room. I feel it will be even more competitive in the summer and fall.

"I'm real excited as it gives everybody an opportunity to show how much they want it and what they're willing to do to step into that spotlight."

IU boosted its receiving talent with college transfers Cam Camper and Emery Simmons. That led to some intriguing practice battles with Williams.

"I love it," he says. "They make me better and I am making them better. Overall, it just helps the team.

"I am glad that they chose IU, and they chose to come make our team better."

Having Allen take on a bigger defensive role -- he will call the plays while juggling his head-coaching responsibilities -- also will make the team better, Williams adds.

"There's more L-E-O (Love Each Other). Everyone is more confident.

"Being with Coach Allen, he really knows the defense. He's been around us all these years. It's a great opportunity for us."

IU has added to its defensive back talent pool, including James Monds III, Trevell Mullen, Jarmari Sharpe, and Phillip Dunnam. Williams will have plenty of advice to share.

"It's just teaching them how to stay focused and how to learn the playbook. Telling them not to overthink and be confident in yourself and your abilities.

"You are going to mess up. Nobody's perfect, so just take the opportunity when you mess up as a learning experience and don't just look at it as a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes."

Last season, IU utilized more man-to-man coverage rather than the zone-heavy approach from 2020 that produced those 17 interceptions. Will the Hoosiers return to more zone this season?

"It will be a mixture," Williams says. "We game plan for the team we have for the week. It's not the concept of man over zone. It's a matter of the game plan and how we can adjust."

Original source can be found here.