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FAYETTEVILLE — The son of a former Arkansas standout, Zach Williams has made a name for himself during his first two seasons in Fayetteville.
The Little Rock native has played in 18 games for the Razorbacks, starting four of those in 2020, and has 34 career tackles.
Despite his early success, Williams’ size has been a sticking point in his jump to the next level. Those question marks appear to be erased ahead of 2021, according to defensive line coach Jermial Ashley.
"I've seen the before and after pictures and it's kind of like night and day,” Ashley said. “He is an athletic kid. The biggest thing with all the guys is learning and understanding the position. Once they get to the point of understanding what they're doing through and through, they can kind of go out and let their bird fly."
It’s not just the coaches taking notice of Williams’ transformation. Eric Gregory, who also came to Arkansas in the 2019 class, has stood out as a flexible piece of the defensive line this camp and believes that Williams is another guy with the potential to transcend positions. With the transition into Barry Odom’s trademark multiple defenses, we’re seeing no shortage of fronts in camp.
Slightly bigger than the 204 pounds which Gregory joked to the media, Williams - whose father, Rickey, was an All-SWC linebacker at Arkansas in the 1980s - came into college undersized at 6-foot-4 225 pounds.
Since joining the team in 2019, Williams has put on more than 30 pounds, turning himself into a force for opposing offensive lines. Sixth-year senior defensive lineman Dorian Gerald noted that the chip on Williams’ shoulder was built in large part due to questions about his size.
“I think Zach is one of the most athletic guys we have,” Gerald said. “He’s huge, he can run, he can move. He took it personal when he came in and everybody was saying he was small as a D-end — small, small, small.
“He’s 260 now and he’s moving. I see his ceiling. His ceiling is high and I feel like he has so much potential.”
Williams is currently battling it out with Arkansas’ three transfer defensive linemen and other returners, like Gregory and Gerald, for a spot in the two-deep ahead of the Sept. 4 opener against Rice.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed on SEC Network-Plus and ESPN-Plus.
