DE/LB Nathan Williams (official thread)

[mdoss2202]

Originally Posted by Sportsbuck28

Or Leo.

i think 'leo' was changed to 'viper'? it was definitely viper, and it was definitely a direct quote from his mouth.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Bucknuts.com$ (Steve Helwagen)

OSU Signee Williams Set For Big 33 Classic...........Williams is looking forward to the Big 33 and his move to defensive end at tOSU. Nathan understands the transition he will need to make in order to make an immediate impact at tOSU.

[jwinslow]

From Gene Hankerson (23gene), friend and excellent PA source. Below is paraphrased from our convo:

Williams is [absolutely stacked], looks like a body builder out there. One of the most impressive players so far.

Very focused and driven, on a mission. Runs 2 miles early every day before arriving at practice.

Moves very well, was consistently running with the RBs out of the backfield 40/50 yards downfield.

One word to describe his play: Spirited.

[NFBuck]

Originally Posted by jwinslow

From Gene Hankerson (23gene), friend and excellent PA source. Below is paraphrased from our convo:

Williams is [absolutely stacked], looks like a body builder out there. One of the most impressive players so far.

Very focused and driven, on a mission. Runs 2 miles early every day before arriving at practice.

Moves very well, was consistently running with the RBs out of the backfield 40/50 yards downfield.

One word to describe his play: Spirited.

Very excited to see this kid play.

[matcar]

Originally Posted by jwinslow

From Gene Hankerson (23gene), friend and excellent PA source. Below is paraphrased from our convo:

Williams is [absolutely stacked], looks like a body builder out there. One of the most impressive players so far.

Very focused and driven, on a mission. Runs 2 miles early every day before arriving at practice.

Moves very well, was consistently running with the RBs out of the backfield 40/50 yards downfield.

One word to describe his play: Spirited.

I ask this all the time with the body builder types....does Williams appear flexible & fluid? Strength & speed are huge parts of the equation, but without the flexibility, sometimes kids are limited.

[Poe McKnoe]

So is Nathan Williams for sure going to be on campus very soon? Everything is a go? Including academics?

[OregonBuckeye]

Originally Posted by matcar

I ask this all the time with the body builder types....does Williams appear flexible & fluid? Strength & speed are huge parts of the equation, but without the flexibility, sometimes kids are limited.

I'm not sure what was meant by that bodybuilder comment but he isn't muscle-bound like Gholston if that's what you're wondering. He's big and looks muscular but not to the point where it'll hinder his running ability. It even says so in the post:

From Gene Hankerson (23gene), friend and excellent PA source. Below is paraphrased from our convo:

Williams is [absolutely stacked], looks like a body builder out there. One of the most impressive players so far.

Very focused and driven, on a mission. Runs 2 miles early every day before arriving at practice.

Moves very well, was consistently running with the RBs out of the backfield 40/50 yards downfield.

One word to describe his play: Spirited.

[generaladm]

"Better Know a Buckeye" article on Nathan Williams by Vico at www.ourhonordefend.com - recap of recruitment.

http://www.ourhonordefend.com/2008/0...than-williams/

[Buckskin86]

Of Ohio State's incoming freshman football recruits, only Miami Trace defensive lineman Nathan Williams is not yet enrolled and working out with his future teammates. There is no official word why that is, but it likely has something to do with academics.

The Buckeyes have had other players in that situation, and it usually involves getting academic issues sorted out before the player can enroll.

The Columbus Dispatch : Bob Hunter commentary: Rumblings

[RB07OSU]

Originally Posted by OregonBuckeye

I'm not sure what was meant by that bodybuilder comment but he isn't muscle-bound like Gholston if that's what you're wondering. He's big and looks muscular but not to the point where it'll hinder his running ability. It even says so in the post:

That quote from gene23 is accurate. He is such a warrior on the field but has all the physical tools to back it up. Some kids on our team were pretty terrified of him when we scrimmaged them. One play he got loose and I had trouble catching him. I ran a 4.5 flat in HS and he was only a junior then, so that was pretty impressive. I'm really hoping Nathan gets qualified.

[Buckskin86]

Williams' work rewarded
Freshman defensive lineman Nathan Williams retook a high school English class this summer, raising his grade from a D to a B, to qualify academically for fall camp.

Jeff Conroy, his former coach at Washington Court House Miami Trace, said Williams' ACT score was "flagged" as suspicious by the NCAA in the spring, and when he retook the test, his score and grade-point average did not meet the NCAA's criteria.

"It was a roller-coaster ride for him," Conroy said. "One minute, we're slapping each other on the back, hugging and giving high-fives (at signing with Ohio State), and the next minute we get a letter in the mail saying he didn't qualify."

Williams stayed home instead of enrolling for Ohio State's summer quarter. He took an online course and qualified.

BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : OSU notebook: Past rulings offer Worthington hope

[Buckskin86]

8/8/2008


Ohio State holds media day

On a somewhat milder than normal early August Thursday, the Ohio State Buckeyes held their 2008 football media day at Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeyes will be gunning for a fourth straight Big Ten Championship, a third straight outright title and, hopefully, a third consecutive trip to the National Championship game, which has not gone well at all the past two seasons.

Miami Trace graduate Nathan Williams (No. 43 in your program), a member of the incoming freshman class, was walking, it seemed, a couple of inches off the ground with the excitment and the enormity of his collegiate football career getting underway.

?Just being out here with these guys is a true honor,? Williams said. ?Especially with the incoming freshman, the coaches out here; just being in the stadium gives me goosebumps.

?I?m just living the Ohio State dream, really,? Williams said. ?I?m just looking forward to everything this season.?

It?s literally a whole different ballgame for Williams, playing for one of the very top football programs in the nation.

?We have so many assistant coaches here,? Williams said. ?There are six or seven weight-training coaches. They provide different programs for you.?

Williams has been hitting the weights twice a day at Ohio State; once during the required time frame and again later on his own.

?The assistant weight-lifting coaches write me out a plan and give me some extra work,? Williams said. ?I?ve been busting my butt. Being a freshman, you?re at the bottom of the totem pole. You start all over again. You have to put forth the effort on your own time.?

Williams is listed as a defensive end. He will at some point play end or outside linebacker.

?There are like eight defensive ends on the team right now,? Williams said. ?You just have to compete your best and try and work your way up.

?Right now, while we?re in practice, the repetitions are short for the freshman,? Williams said. ?Because, you know, they want to play the older guys. As far as freshman, we?re all just trying to understand the concepts and the playbook. It?s difficult; the playbook?s huge.

?We do installs every day,? Williams said. ?We try to install new types of defenses and stunts. We?re just trying to get the concepts of that. After that, we?ll get more repetitions during practice while the season goes along.?

Williams stated he hopes that at least he will be in on some special teams play this season, but nothing in that regard has been discussed to this point.

?I hope so,? Williams said. ?We?ll see once the season comes. I?m just going to keep on working. All I can do is do my best every day in practice. We?ll see what happens.?

Denied:1up! Software

[Magua]

What a great attitude and outlook he has on things. Definately not taking his situation for granted after what nearly happened to him. Also good to hear he's busting his hump in the weightroom, cause he's gonna need to if he wants to terrorize QB's from DE at this level, which I expect him to do. Nathan definately looks like a guy hitting the weights twice a day if you look thru Jwins photos.

[osugrad21]

OZone

Football
Williams Continues Tradition of Under-the-Radar Excellence in OSU Football Recruiting
By John Porentas
OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel and recruiting coordinator John Peterson have done it again. Over the years Tressel and his staff have consistently found players who have turned out to be gems after being characterized as more like lumps of coal by the people who rate high school talent. A. J. Hawk, James Laurinaitis, Malcolm Jenkins, Donald Washington and Anderson Russell are just a few of the "average" high school prospects that have turned out to be more than expected after they arrived in Columbus. It looks like they have done it again this year as well.
Nathan Williams was considered a good player, but hardly star caliber when he signed with the Buckeyes last February. He also didn't help his hype-stock much when he didn't report for summer conditioning but instead elected to report to Ohio State at a more traditional time, right before fall camp began.

Cont...

[EgonSchiele]

That is some pretty strong praise.