Razorback Roster Rundown: No. 56 Zach Williams

This article is part of a series previewing the Razorbacks’ 2020 football roster.

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Initially thought to be a prime redshirt candidate, defensive end Zach Williams developed quickly and was asked to step up with several other of his classmates for the 2019 season.

The unexpected medical injury for Dorian Gerald in the first game of the season forced the coaches to call up the reserves and Williams made his first depth chart appearance in week two against Ole Miss. In week three against Colorado State, Williams was listed for the first time with the second team behind senior Gabe Richardson.

A knee injury sidelined Williams for a couple of weeks in the middle of the season, but he played in every other game. Williams played more than 20 snaps against Ole Miss and Colorado State but in the seven games after returning from injury, he played fewer than five snaps three times and more than 15 just once (24 against Mississippi State). He made 12 tackles on the season, with Pro Football Focus crediting him with two hurries and three defensive stops.

Williams earned a 55.2 from PFF for his 131 snaps, three points below fellow true freshman Mataio Soli who played 497 snaps. Despite a smaller sample size than most, Williams had the team's second highest tackling grade for the season, an 81 with zero missed tackles.

As a signee, Williams came into the program early and weighed in at around 225. He's now listed at 6-foot-4, 236. Pittman said he'd like to continue putting weight on both Williams and Soli heading into the 2020 season.

The Little Rock native exceeded expectations once already, so it's only fair to elevate them further with the sophomore heading into his second season. Williams will be battling against familiar faces and several new teammates as well but the opportunity is there for him to not only keep his spot as a backup, but to also fight for starting reps.

Gerald is now healthy and ready to empty the tank for his last season on the Hill, the Hogs brought in towering 6-foot-7 JUCO defensive end Julius Coates and Soli is back and ready for a (hopefully) healthy season, but Collin Clay opted to transfer out of Arkansas in the offseason so, as far as returning experience is concerned, Williams has more than most.

Zach Williams, son of former Razorback Ricky Williams, was a shoe-in to be a Hog and he got that opportunity in February of 2018. Despite being a legacy, Chad Morris's staff still had to work very hard to woo Williams as he and his family traversed the nation looking at top programs to find the perfect fit. Williams earned offers from Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, TCU, Texas Tech and many others but called the Hogs in July heading into his senior season at Robinson H.S. Williams was ranked as the No. 5 player in the state by Rivals behind Stacey Wilkins, Treylon Burks, Hudson Henry, and Jadon Jackson.

MORE: Razorback Roster Rundown