Ringgold's Reid Williams dives into UTC's O-line competition

Staff photo by Olivia Ross / UTC offensive lineman Reid Williams, center, is a 6-foot-1, 295-pound sophomore who could start for the Mocs when they host Wofford on Sept. 3 in a season-opening SoCon matchup at Finley Stadium.
Staff photo by Olivia Ross / UTC offensive lineman Reid Williams, center, is a 6-foot-1, 295-pound sophomore who could start for the Mocs when they host Wofford on Sept. 3 in a season-opening SoCon matchup at Finley Stadium.

Reid Williams knew growing up that he wanted to play football for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

In 2019, he was invited to UTC's prospect camp the summer before his senior season at Ringgold High School, where he wound up being a two-time all-state offensive lineman for the GHSA Class AAA program.

UTC coaches knew about Williams, whose older brother Bucky played at Austin Peay, and liked him as a prospect, but they wanted to evaluate the younger brother up close and see how well he competed.

Williams was determined to do whatever he needed to do while at the camp to secure a scholarship offer from the Mocs, and one moment in particular raised his stock. During a 1-on-1 drill against a defensive line prospect, the defender spun and the back of his head hit Williams right above his eye.

"He looked like Rocky Balboa," UTC head coach Rusty Wright said this week.

Williams recalled seeing blood running down his face, so he walked over to the medical tent and got patched up, then went back to the drill and finished the camp.

"The trainers are telling me that I don't have to go back out there, or I could just sit under the tent and wait on them to patch me up, but I was like, 'This is where I want to go,'" said Williams, who added that he came back "looking like a pirate" but also knew "this is where I want to play at, so I just went back out there and kept competing."

That was enough for Wright - a former UTC player and assistant who at the time was preparing for his first season as head coach - to observe and tell the offensive line coach: "That kid has got an offer."

"That's the epitome of what you want somebody to be," Wright said. "The only time that his name will ever get called on Saturdays is when he's holding, but he's one of those guys that you just wish you had 100 of them, and he's all about this program and making it better and him making himself better every day. You're just so proud of and happy when a guy like that has success, because he works his tail off.

"As hard as we see (running back) Ailym Ford work, as hard as we see (linebacker) Ty Boeck and (defensive lineman Devonnsha Maxwell) and all those guys, he works just as hard and he's been a lot of fun to be around."

Williams was a 4.0 student in high school who has maintained that level of GPA success in college while majoring in engineering technology management with dean's list, athletic director's honor roll and Southern Conference honor roll recognition as a result. He has appeared in 13 games for UTC, including a start against Mercer his first season.

And with the Mocs losing four offensive line starters and a pair of transfers off last season's 6-5 team, there are going to be more opportunities for Williams to get on the field. He's been working a lot with the first team at either center or guard with the full intention of finding himself in the lineup.

Wright and his staff brought in seven transfers to the group during the offseason, but Williams wants to play and has been competing for a spot as the Mocs prepare to open the season Sept. 3 against Wofford at Finley Stadium.

Case in point: He was injured at a recent practice and had to come off to the sideline with a hand injury. A couple of minutes later? Taped up and right back in.

"We've got to love the grind," Williams said. "We've got to love competing, we've got to love helping other people and making them better. We want the running back to get more yards, we want the quarterback to make more throws. I mean, that's just part of the game; you've got to love to block, love to protect.

"Competition is going to get the best out of you, because you can't come out here and just play around. You've got to go to work, you've got to put your head down and you've got to go for it. If you want the job, you're really going to have to compete. The new guys in here are going to make everybody better, and they're going to make our group and our team stronger, for sure."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.

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