2017 Louisiana FS Dylan Williams Ready to Showcase Talents at Airo Nation Tournament
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
The state of Louisiana is stacked with next level talent ready to be discovered and coached up. One of the many recruits in the Sportsman’s Paradise flying under the radar but ready to showcase his talents at the Adidas/Airo Nation 7v7 Tournament this week is Dylan Williams.
Williams was all over the field for East Ascension High School during his junior season. Exact stats were not kept, but the 6’2”, 179 pound, speedster had two interceptions, taking one back to the house for a score, three fumble recoveries, forced a fumble, and was a regular breaking up passing plays in the secondary.
The Gonzales area talent has four offers from Division-II and NAIA programs with schools like Colorado State, Alcorn State, Jackson State, Southern University, and Louisiana-Lafayette showing heavy interest. High school and college coaches from across the country will get to see Williams’ defensive abilities against other Louisiana high school teams during the Airo Nation Tournament which pits high school teams against high school teams instead of all-star 7v7 teams against one another helping build that bond and team chemistry during “the second season.”
In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I caught up with Williams before East Ascension started tournament play to get an overview on his play on the field, thoughts on the uniqueness of the Airo Nation competition, and a recruiting news update.
Interview
Dylan, your highlight reel shows you being very active in the secondary for the Spartans. What are some of the things you think you do well as a free safety?
“I have good vision and good footwork. I get in and out of my breaks fast.”
What are you working on this offseason to prepare for your senior year?
“My hips and keeping my feet on the ground when I tackle.”
Have you posted a 40-yard dash this offseason?
“I ran a 4.43 at East Ascension.”
Have you maxed out in any of the primary football lifts lately?
“Yes sir. My bench max is 255, my squat is 385, and my hand clean is 245.”
Have you set any goals be-it personal or team goals for the 2016 season yet?
“Yes sir, I have set a lot of goals. One goal is to lead my team into the playoffs. Another goal is to make sure my team is on track with no distractions. I feel like we have a good team that could go to a state championship.”
What are some of the strengths of the team heading into the season?
“I feel like we have a strong offensive and defensive line with a nice secondary. If the secondary can hold the quarterback and wide receivers off, we can give our linemen time to get to quarterback to make plays. We also have a strong coaching staff that can put us in the right positions to win.”
Will your role expand from playing free safety to playing offense or time on special teams?
“I’ll play some special teams and I’m trying to play some at wide receiver. I’ll also play some strong safety this year.”
Have you set any offseason goals for yourself?
“I’m trying to gain at least 10 pounds before school starts. I’m trying to get bigger and faster. I’m watching a lot of film to get smarter on defense.”
What has your team done to prepare for the Airo Nation Tournament this week?
“We’ve been doing a lot of 7v7 practices making sure our plays are right and our coverages are correct.”
Switching to recruiting, which schools are showing interest in you right now?
“Jackson State, ULL (Louisiana-Lafayette) is showing a lot of interest, Alcorn State, Southern University, Colorado State, and some D-II and NAIA schools.”
Which schools do you have offers from right now?
“Bethel College, Kentucky Christian, Avila (Kansas), and Louisiana College.”
Which college camps have you attended so far?
“I went to a ULL camp and the Mega Camp in Baton Rouge. There were 15 colleges at that camp. Next month I’m going to LSU, a Nicholls camp, and Southeast’s camp.”
How did the ULL camp go for you?
“It went well. I’ve been to two of them. The second one I did better than the first. I was on point during the second camp. The coaches were impressed.”
You ran a 4.43 at East Ascension, have you ran a 40-yard dash at any of the camps?
“Yes sir. I ran a 4.5-flat at ULL.”
Do you play any other sports for East Ascension?
“Yes sir. I run track.”
Which events?
“The 100 meters, 200 meters, 4×1, and 4×2.”
Which event is your best?
“The 4×1.”
What is your personal best in the 100?
“10.56. I got past district this year. I missed regionals by .2 seconds.”
What is your cumulative GPA?
“2.9.”
What is your favorite subject in school?
“Math.”
Have you taken the ACT or SAT yet?
“I got an 18 on ACT.”
Have you thought about what you want to major in once in college?
“Mechanical engineering.”
Are you doing anything fun or exciting this summer?
“I’m volunteering at an elderly home but the rest of the summer is focused on my senior year in football.”
Dylan, thanks for your time today and good luck at the Airo Nation Tournament.
“Thank you.”
Photo credit: Williams family; Dylan Williams (right) at a ULL camp.
Photo credit: Williams family; No. 2 Dylan Williams on the field.