Josh Williams isn’t going to catch anyone in the Southern Conference by surprise this season.
Williams, like fellow University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defensive end Josh Beard, came out of nowhere in 2009. They formed the nation’s top sack duo — Williams on the right and Beard on the left — with a combined 19.
The 6-foot-3, 232-pound Williams set a UTC freshman record with seven sacks, the fourth-most in the SoCon and the most of any freshman in the NCAA. Beard’s 12 sacks led the nation for the regular season and earned him SoCon defensive player of the year honors, while Williams was voted second-team all-conference.
Williams said his productive freshman season has driven him to work even harder this spring.
“I wanted to get better, particularly on the pass rush — wanted to get better at getting to the quarterback faster,” Williams said Monday. “I just want to take it as far as I can. I’ve been given the abilities to do something great, and I want to take it to the limits.”