Husker add Kevin Williams as an interior offensive line transfer
Nebraska needs to shore up their offensive line for next season, especially the interior of the line, so adding a transfer from of former Omaha North player Kevin Williams will give them another option and possibility for the 2022 season.
HuskerOnline.com spoke with Omaha North Vikings head football coach Larry Martin to get his take on Williams and his decision to transfer to Nebraska from Northern Colorado.
"Yeah, he's pretty excited about it!" Coach Martin stated. "I'm pretty sure Nebraska recruited him to be an interior [offensive line] guy, as an offensive guard."
Williams will have two years of eligibility left on the Division I level once he gets to Lincoln on January 8.
"You know, like I was telling those guys down there [at Nebraska], Kevin has great feet, he's always had long arms, and we knew that that upper body strength would come with hard work in the weight room," Coach Martin shared. "And it finally caught up with him.
"He has a tremendous work ethic and he wants to be great. He's always had good feet and that long extension on his arms, which is huge, obviously, the higher level you go to get those d-linemen off of you. So, he's extremely excited about this opportunity."
Martin believes Williams will have the skill set to be a factor for Nebraska next season.
"He had a great year,," Coach Martin said. "When they played against Colorado this year, Colorado had a potential All-American d-lineman and Kevin played extremely well against him. He's going to do great things down there."
Williams took an official visit to Nebraska on Friday. It was the second time the Huskers had recruited him, but out of high school he only received a preferred walk on opportunity from the Big Red.
"I left the visit early yesterday, once I got my offer and everything," Williams said. "Yes sir, they gave me a scholarship offer. Truthfully, I hit the [transfer] portal on Friday and then I announced it on [last] Saturday. And then, on Monday, I had a lot of coaches hitting me up and giving me attention."
In addition to Nebraska, some of those programs who inquired about Williams’ transferring to them were Arizona State, Kansas State, Illinois, Utah State, Western Kentucky, and Bowling Green.
"Kenny Wilhite had recruited me in high school and they wanted me to walk on, but I declined," Williams said. "I had other offers, so I wasn't going to pay for school. Now that I'm a grad transfer and I have better film, Kenny Wilhite put it back in front of their staff and they watched my Colorado game from this year and they loved it.
"Coach (Scott) Frost called me up, after my home visit on Thursday with Coach (Barrett) Ruud, and told me he watched my film about six times and he really wanted to see me face to face. He asked me if I wanted to be a Husker and to come home and I said, 'Yes sir!' And I told him I wanted to get it over with if he was really serious about it."
Williams then spent yesterday in Lincoln on his visit and he got to speak with the new Nebraska offensive coaches while he was there.
"I got to meet coach Mark Whipple, and I got to sit down with Coach Donovan Raiola. We watched the film of my Colorado game together, kind of going through technique and stuff. I really liked how we talked about the techniques they're going to be teaching. So, it was a good connection.
"I also sat down with Coach Frost and my family for about an hour and a 1/2 or 2 hours, and we just talked and got to know each other a little bit. He thought I would be a good fit for them. He said I could play tackle or guard. I would probably start out at guard and that would be my best chance to get on the field, but I could also move out to tackle."
In addition to his physical skill set, Williams wants to help Nebraska change the mental attitude of the offensive line.
"I just want to be nasty coming off the ball and win the line of scrimmage every down," Williams stated. "I want to help change the mentality of the offensive line and get it back to what it's supposed to be."
Williams said he started playing offensive line when he was four or five years old, but his favorite player was Ndamukong Suh growing up. He also has a family connection to a player on Nebraska's roster right now.
"I always played up and with older kids, and didn't play with my own age group until high school," Williams relayed. "It was always interesting playing with older kids. My cousin is A.J. Rollins. He's my little cousin, and then I know a lot of Nebraska guys from Omaha and Bellevue."
Williams said he will report to Lincoln for the start of the fall semester and winter conditioning on January 8.
"Yeah, I'm geeked! I can't wait! I want to get to work. I feel like we are super-close, as far as being good. Coach Frost said they're just missing a few pieces, and I can help be a major part of changing the offense. You know, when you lose a game by single digits, that's only one or two explosive plays a game. I want to help us get those extra plays."
