Clemson Football Redshirt Report: Jordan Williams

Throughout the offseason, Rubbing The Rock will be taking a look at the members of Clemson football’s 2017 recruiting class who redshirted last fall. Today we’ll be examining defensive tackle, Jordan Williams.

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Jordan Williams (DT) Virginia Beach, Virginia:

There aren’t many players in the Clemson football program from the state of Virginia at the moment. That being said, those few Old Dominion State natives played an important role in the Tigers’ success in 2017.

Defensive end, Clelin Ferrell and defensive back, K’Von Wallace are two of Clemson’s best defenders. Jordan Williams looks to add his name to the list of impact players from Virginia next season.

Best Attributes:

Williams – now playing defensive tackle – is an explosive and versatile athlete. Coming out of Frank W. Cox high school, Williams lined up primarily at defensive end and tight end.

He is an athletic 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, with extremely good length. Williams came to Clemson built like a power-forward rather than a defensive lineman.

You can’t teach length or athleticism and Williams was naturally blessed with those two things. His is a nimble giant, capable of getting skinny to split blocks. With an extra year to develop physically, Williams should provide even more quality depth for the Tigers along the front seven next season.

Expectations:

Given Williams’ position change, his biggest adversary is time. The more time he has to develop his body and his technique as a defensive tackle the better. Luckily for the former blue-chip recruit, Clemson returns their entire starting defensive line from a season ago.

Not only will Williams get more time to develop, but, he will also have another season to learn from season veterans such as Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence and a host of other Tigers.

Next: Tucker Israel Transferring From Clemson

By now we’ve learned that defensive coordinator, Brent Venables is not shy about rotating players in. If a guy is ready to play, then he will play. As such, I expect Williams to work his way into Clemson’s rotation next season.