Vince Lombardi said that football is only two things – blocking and tackling. It hasn’t taken Enrique Williams long to figure out the latter.

Williams, a sophomore inside linebacker, led South Alabama with 48 total stops last season including four-and-a-half tackles for loss and two sacks. The Mobile native was second on the team with 24 solo tackles. He broke up three passes, forced one fumble and recovered another while helping a defensive unit that surrendered just 13 points and less than 260 total yards per game cap off another undefeated season. Then, he was chosen as the program’s most improved inside linebacker at the end of spring practice.

Solid work from a guy who was primarily a running back in high school.

Williams played defense sparingly in his four-year career at Blount High School, seeing most of his playing time in the Leopard backfield where he rushed for over 450 yards and three touchdowns as a senior. He was, however, credited with 34 tackles including three tackles for loss and a pair of sacks in his final season at BHS.

But it wasn’t until he arrived at South Alabama that his full potential on the defensive side of the ball would come to fruition.

“The thing that was obvious when Enrique got here was his athletic ability,” South Alabama defensive coordinator Bill Clark said. “When we saw him, he was great as a linebacker instinctively; he was just one of those guys. But he has added the mental part – understanding formations and what personnel means – and it’s fulfilling to see him take the step in the process of becoming a true inside linebacker.”

Williams said when he first arrived on campus, trying to get into a defensive mindset took some adjusting. But he is quick to credit linebackers coach Kurt Crain with helping him make the transition and evolve at the position.

“Coach Crain has helped me a lot, especially when I first got here because I still had an offensive mindset,” Williams said. “I really had to grasp the different schemes and plays, but he has helped me improve fundamentally. He was a great All-American linebacker at Auburn, and he has taught me a lot to help me with my game. He is fun to play for because he speaks his mind – he is going to let you know what you are and are not doing, and show you the correct way to do it.

“And if he gets on you, he lets you know that he is doing it for you. It’s because he loves you and wants you to get better. The biggest thing I like about coach Crain is his intensity and how much he loves the game.”

And Crain has high expectations for Williams this year with the defense in its first season without former inside linebackers Justin Dunn and Charlie Higgenbotham. The duo combined for 138 stops, 14 tackles for loss and four-and-a-half sacks in two seasons at USA, both starting all 17 games; they were also voted team captains last fall.

“The first thing I am looking for out of Enrique is leadership,” Crain said. “A lot of responsibility comes with being a starter. The great thing about him is he got to watch those guys [Dunn and Higgenbotham] the last two years. He led [preseason] camp, and he understands the philosophy of our defense and what we want to do along with just being an every-down player.”

Williams said he learned a great deal about the position from Dunn and Higgenbotham from simply watching them play.

“When you are new to something, just watching can help you learn,” he said. “But those guys had been doing it [playing linebacker] for a while, and they are guys who you could look up to as seniors.”

But now that Williams is cast for the spotlight as a starting inside linebacker, what does he feel he can bring to the table?

“I feel like I play the run well, and I have improved with my pass drops,” he said. “That was probably one of the hardest things for me to do when I first started playing the position. But I feel like I am real aggressive. I try to bring that to the position. You have to be aggressive playing linebacker, and I try to play hard and fast.”

Williams made his first career start in last week’s season opener, and helped the Jags capture a 20-10 win over West Alabama and extend their winning streak to 18 games. He finished with a career-high 11 tackles, which led all Jaguars, and was credited with one-and-a-half tackles for loss and a half-sack while forcing one fumble.
 
Playing hard and fast are two characteristics that can be attributed to Clark’s defenses, which have allowed only 10 points per game through the program’s first 17 contests. And the fact that Williams does so gives the third-year defensive coordinator several options when selecting which schemes and blitzes to run.

“You have a guy with tremendous speed and he is a specimen – he’s strong,” Clark said. “And we have a guy who can match up with the running back. We can put him in man coverage or bring him off the edge. And when he tackles people, he tackles them. It’s really the whole package.”

Crain added that Williams is “a real explosive player who has really brought his game up this year.”

Part of Williams’ growth and maturation as a linebacker is a direct result from work done in the weight room during the offseason conditioning program that now has him playing at 235 pounds.

“I have gained almost 30 pounds since I have been here,” he said. “I have kept my speed, but I have gotten a lot stronger. I have benefited a lot from the program.”

Challenges still arise as he evolves as a Division I linebacker, but Williams said the cohesiveness of the defensive unit aids in overcoming any obstacles.

“The defense as a whole, we make each other better,” he said. “Jake [Johnson], he’s a leader on the defense. He was experienced coming from Virginia Tech. He helps me out with a lot of my calls if I don’t understand a situation or something that is going on. I can always ask Jake.”

It’s been said that a team takes on the personality of its coach, and the Jaguar defensive unit is no different. Their methodical, business-like approach is a pure reflection of Clark and his devotion to perfection.

“Coach Clark is serious; he’s always about his business,” Williams stated. “He always lets us know what we have to do. He is an expert at what he does – getting us ready for the game and preparing us for all situations so we will be ready for them.”

And much like Clark, Williams is all about his business on the field. He led the Jaguars in tackles in four contests last season, and posted a then career-best nine total tackles in the Jags’ Homecoming win over Henderson (Ark.) State in which he also broke up a pair of passes and recovered a fumble.

As a senior at BHS, Williams also had scholarship offers from Mississippi, Southern Illinois and Alabama A&M. He then narrowed his choice of schools down to two:  Alabama A&M and USA.

“When I took my visit to [Alabama] A&M, it really didn’t seem like the right atmosphere. But when I came here, it was already close to home and I was familiar with my surroundings. I just felt more comfortable here.”

Not only did his decision to attend South Alabama keep him closer to family and friends, it also allowed him the opportunity to continue to play on the same field he had in so many games at Blount – Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

“It gives you that edge because you are familiar with it,” Williams said of getting to continue to play at Ladd. “You are playing in front of all of your folks, and you want to put on in front of all your people. All of the players from Mobile as a core, we want to show out. We are in our hometown and trying to represent the city.”

Keeping local talent at home in Mobile is a top priority for Jaguar coaches, and Williams is a prime example.

“I think a lot of these guys can see that you can play big-time football right here in Mobile, and Enrique is evidence of that,” Crain said. “He had a lot of opportunities to go other places, and he came here. Now they (family and friends) can come watch him play on Saturdays.”

There are so many entities being represented when Williams takes the field, but perhaps none as important as his parents, Enrique and Jeanetta, who he credits as having the most influence on his football career.

“They have always been there for me, and they support whatever I do,” he said. “They come to every game. They tell me the right things to do and help me keep my head on straight. They are a good support system.”

Saturday’s game also bears extra significance to Williams, who celebrates his 21st birthday in the same town where he was born and raised.

Williams is continuing to grow and blossom as a player, much like the Jaguar football program itself. And this season, both could take big steps forward in the process of building a Division I program.

Growth in Williams as a player is evident. In 2009, he recorded 24 total tackles while playing in all seven games. Last season he doubled that mark in 10 games. He is already the program’s all-time leading tackler. His name is etched at the top of the Jaguar record books in several categories, including total tackles, solo and assisted tackles.

“Tackling comes natural to me,” he stated.

Spoken like a true linebacker.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).