Countdown to Kickoff: No. 2

Rodney Williams

The countdown to kickoff is officially on as Georgia Tech's season-opening matchup at Colorado on Aug. 29 is less than 100 days away.

Until then JOL will be counting it down with one Jackets' player daily that wore the corresponding number of days remaining until toe meets leather in Boulder.

With it now two days until kickoff in Boulder, today's focus is on No. 2 Rodney Williams, a player that made his mark on the game via special teams at Georgia Tech as one of the school's all-time best punters.

Williams came to Georgia Tech from Southwest DeKalb High (Ga.) in Decatur and got a chance to use his abilities as a freshman in 1995 on The Flats, punting 28 times over five games for a total of 1,068 yards for an average of 38.1 yards per attempt. He became the Jackets' main punter in 1996 as a sophomore when he punted 53 times over 11 games and increased his average to 38.4 yards per punt.

Williams' big jump came in his third college season when he saw a massive improvement in his distance. He set a Georgia Tech school record for single-season punting average with a mark of 45.6 yards per attempt on 47 punts, a record that stood for 23 years until Jackets' punter Pressley Harvin III broke it. Williams earned First-Team All-ACC honors for his efforts.

Williams followed up that great season with another in 1998 as he once again was named First-Team All-ACC after averaging 42.5 yards per punt on 50 attempts during Tech's run to a share of the ACC Championship and Gator Bowl win over Notre Dame to finish the season 10-2.

Williams, who finished his career with a punting average of 41.4 for third all-time in Tech history behind Durant Brooks and Harvin, went on to be picked in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. He battled for a spot on the roster of several NFL teams during his career from 1999-2006, including the Rams, Washington Redskins, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks.

Williams saw his most action during the 2001 season with the Giants when he punted 91 times over 15 games for an average of 42.9 yards per attempt. He was the only African-American punter in the NFL at the time and only the fourth up to that point in league history.

During his pro career, Williams also played in NFL Europe for the Rhein Fire where he was part of the World Bowl Championship team in 2000 and spent time in 2006 in the Canadian Football League with the Edmonton Eskimos.

Williams was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

Honorable Mention

-Tariq Carpenter (DB from 2017-2021; Played in 52 games in his college career and had 223 total tackles with 153 solo, seven tackles-for-loss, four interceptions, three forced fumbles and 18 passes defended; Drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers and also played a season for the Pittsburgh Steelers; Had 10 tackles over 17 games in his NFL career)

-Ricky Jeune (WR from 2014-2017; Finished career with 1,492 yards on 74 catches with 11 touchdowns in 48 games played; Got a shot with the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams in 2018 but didn't play in a regular-season game)

-Mario Butler (DB from 2007-2010; Played in 52 games in his college career and had 137 total tackles with 102 solo, four interceptions, one forced fumble and one defensive touchdown; Went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft but signed with the Dallas Cowboys and played there for two seasons followed by two with the Denver Broncos and three with the Buffalo Bills; Played in 14 total games in the NFL and had nine tackles and five passes defended)

-Kenny Scott (DB from 2003-2006; Played in 50 games in his college career and had 106 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, five interceptions, one forced fumble and two defensive touchdowns)

-Mike Kelley (QB from 1978-1981; Finished career with 5,249 yards passing and 23 touchdowns; He is fifth all-time in GT history in career passing yards and 10th in career passing touchdowns; Picked in the sixth round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons; Also played for the Tampa Bay Bandits and Memphis Showboats in the USFL, the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL and briefly back in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers; Was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1992)