Drive to land at UA: Little Rock native didn’t rush into his dad’s footsteps

FAYETTEVILLE -- Rickey Williams isn't sure how many miles he drove around the country with his son, Zach, to visit various colleges.

"I know it was a lot of miles," Williams said. "We went all over."

Among the colleges Rickey and Zach Williams drove to from the family home in Little Rock were the University of Arkansas, Arkansas State University, Alabama, Missouri, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Texas, TCU, Baylor, Louisville and Memphis.

For a trip to Arizona State, they drove to Dallas, flew to Las Vegas and drove to Tempe, Ariz. There also was a flight to Oregon State on an official visit.

Auburn, Georgia, Texas A&M and Oregon were among the schools that wanted a visit from Zach Williams, according to his father, but they weren't able to make those trips.

In the end, Zach Williams signed with Arkansas -- 190 miles from Little Rock.

Williams will be a freshman defensive end for the Razorbacks this fall and is expected to play as a backup after going through spring practice.

[HOG FUTURES: Read full series on newcomers to the UA football team at arkansasonline.com/2019hogs/]

Rickey Williams, an All-Southwest Conference linebacker at Arkansas who played from 1984-87, said he doesn't regret driving all those miles even after his son chose the Razorbacks.

"Absolutely I'm glad we did that," Rickey Williams said. "That was the whole point of it, so there had to be no doubt in his mind this is where he wanted to be.

"That's why we got on the road nearly every week in April, May and June before Zach's senior year, so he could see exactly what was out there and let the coaches make their best pitches."

Lots of coaches made their pitches to Williams, who as a junior at Joe T. Robinson High School had 65 tackles, including 28 for lost yards and 11 sacks.

Alabama Coach Nick Saban, who has won six national championships, made it a point to talk to Zach Williams and his father when they visited Tuscaloosa, Ala.

"Coach Saban is a lot different when you talk to him in person than what you see at the games on television," Zach Williams said. "He's a lot more calm.

"He told me they wanted me at Alabama, and it's hard turning him down, but you have to do what's best for you."

Williams, who last season had 97 tackles with 31 for losses and 17 sacks, said there's no doubt Arkansas is the best place for him.

He said playing close to home is a big plus, along with the opportunity to contribute immediately. He also liked the coaches.

"It's comfortable for me being at Arkansas," Williams said. "I do feel a little pressure, because if your dad made a major statement for the program, of course you want to do that yourself as well.

"But I don't let it overwhelm me. I'm happy and proud for this challenge."

Williams enrolled at Arkansas in January and capped his spring practice by making two tackles in the Red-White game.

"A story I can tell about Zach is that he lined up 1-on-1 one day, and he went against a starting offensive tackle, and he got embarrassed a little bit," defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell said. "The next practice, Zach lined up against [the older offensive tackle] and got him back.

"That made me know right there, 'This guy is going to be OK.' "

Caldwell said Williams had a good spring.

"He can run, he's got great length," Caldwell said. "He's real quiet, but when he gets on the field, he plays the game the way it's supposed to be played."

Williams said he made significant progress in the spring.

"I feel like I got a lot stronger, a lot more technically sound," Williams said. "Like I'm actually SEC material.

"Of course, the coaches see it -- your potential -- when they're recruiting you. But you don't see it until you get on the field and go against guys that have played in the SEC."

Trumain Carroll, the Razorbacks strength and conditioning coach, said Williams followed up his spring with a strong showing in summer workouts.

"He's had a phenomenal summer," Carroll said. "He's a guy that really has put in the work."

Williams, 6-4, has gained more than 20 pounds since arriving at Arkansas to get up to 233, but he continues to have the top vertical jump among defensive linemen at 35 inches, Carroll said.

"He's extremely explosive," Carroll said. "He's impressive, and it's just the beginning for him.

"If you look at his frame, yeah he's filled out some. But he still has a long way to go before he maximizes what his frame can actually carry."

Williams started at Robinson the previous two seasons after transferring from Little Rock Central.

"Zach came to us as a raw talent," Robinson Coach Todd Eskola said. "He had physical tools. He had speed, he had get-off -- his first two or three steps off the ball are phenomenal -- but he lacked some technique that he improved with the more reps he got.

"Obviously, he'll continue to improve with all the work he'll get at Arkansas. As he puts on more weight and muscle, we think he's going to be a really, really good one."

Rickey Williams said he's excited his son joined the team in January.

"Getting him up on the Hill early was a huge advantage," Rickey Williams said. "He could learn the system, go through spring ball and start gaining some weight and get stronger.

"Academically it helps a lot, too, to get a jump on school and get acclimated to college before the fall starts."

Zach Williams attended many Arkansas games through the years with his family.

"I was probably 6 years old when I went to my first Arkansas game," Williams said. "But when I was younger than that -- as little as I can remember -- I was watching the Razorbacks on TV."

Williams said he's seen several clips of his father playing for the Razorbacks and making some of his 343 career tackles.

"For an old man, he was knocking some heads off," Williams said with a laugh. "I was really impressed.

"You hear from people about your dad, but then when you see him play, it's different. It was pretty rough back then. Not as many rules and regulations as we have now."

Rickey Williams laughed when told about his son's comments.

"Back then there was no targeting," he said. "We weren't trying to hurt people, but you could hit them any way you wanted."

Some of Rickey Williams' big hits available on the internet were against Texas -- the Razorbacks' bitter rival in the Southwest Conference days.

"When we visited Texas, Zach liked it down there a lot to be honest with you," Rickey Williams said. "I was a little scared.

"I would have supported Zach if he wanted to go to Texas. But it's like I told him later after he picked Arkansas, 'If you had gone to Texas, we all would have to move down there, because they would have run us out of Arkansas.' "

Sports on 08/06/2019