SC State gains strong force in Hamilton West defensive end Williams
TRENTON, N.J. (BVM) — Hamilton West defensive end Tyler Williams received a scholarship offer to play for South Carolina State football following his junior season, when in 10 games he recorded 9.5 sacks, 56 tackles and 17 tackles for loss.
Williams is a physical defender on the gridiron but he also shows his strength off the field. When he was just 12 years old, he started weight training with his father after becoming interested in his workouts.
“We never went heavy, my dad was just teaching me more technique and the right way to lift instead of going in there not doing the exercises correctly,” Williams said. “Later I started to pick up strength and really fell in love with it.”
Now 18, Williams can max out at 315 pounds for the bench press and squat 450. At 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, he can deadlift more than double his weight at 500.
Over the years his hobby turned into another form of preparing for football. The weight training has helped him to perform just about anywhere on the defensive line and Williams said he is especially known for “getting after the quarterback and stopping the run”.
But during the pandemic, the senior needed to find ways around lifting at a public gym, so he worked with his family on a safer alternative that would allow him to keep up his training.
“I asked my mom if we could convert the garage to a gym,” Williams said. “My parents bought me equipment so I can continue training at home. My goals before going off to college are to bench 350 pounds, squat 500 and deadlift 550.”
Williams made sure to keep up with his weight training even when the season for his main sport of football was often pushed back due to the pandemic. He only had the opportunity to play four games during his senior year, which resulted in three sacks, 22 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and a blocked field goal.
“We were shut down twice so we weren’t able to play as many games as we hoped to play,” Williams said. “[I was disappointed because] I love to play football because of the competition. It brings out the best of me and I like to compete against other teams with my teammates.”
But Williams is looking towards his future with the Bulldogs. He said he chose the program because “the coaches believed in me early in the process and that meant a lot to me and my family.”
WE LIT 🔥
Tyler Williams
The Powerful Hamilton West Defensive Lineman Stand Out, is brining that Up North Swag straight to the Burg!
LETS GO!!!!!Click Link for Hudl:https://t.co/VRCkiYOUgk#FearTheBite#BullDawg21
🔴🔵🐶🏈 pic.twitter.com/Rmb2ZM5O9V— South Carolina State Football (@SCState_Fb) February 3, 2021
In addition to the athletic program, Williams made it clear that he wanted to attend a university that would set him up for success after his collegiate football career. He looked into the graduation rate amongst athletes from the schools he was talking to because getting a degree is just as important as the game of football is to him.
For graduates in 2020, the Bulldogs had a 83% graduation success rate, which was the highest among Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) institutions.
“I chose South Carolina State because the first thing the coach mentioned to my family and I is that a lot of the athletes that play for South Carolina State graduate,” Williams said. “I think that’s important because football can only take you so far but a degree can take you further.”
Williams plans to study criminal justice and is interested in becoming an investigator with the prosecutor’s office. With hopes of making the most out of his time at SC State, he is also looking back at what he accomplished following his short season.
He was named to the New Jersey High School Football Coaches Association (NJFCA) all-state team for the 2020 season. He and 24 others were chosen out of the seniors in the Class of 2021 from Central Jersey.
“I think I stood out enough to be nominated by my coach because I’m a hard working player,” Williams said. “I go 100% each play and never give up. I put in time training during the season and offseason. I’m always trying to improve my skills.”
But on top of all of his successes in football and weight training, he said his happiest moment was when he received the offer to play at the Division I level for the Bulldogs.
“That was just a moment I can’t describe,” Williams said. “I got an offer to continue to play the game I love.”
