Mykel Williams earns first Georgia start with 'work ethic' and 'humility'
A few Georgia true freshmen played a significant role in the Bulldogs 49-3 beatdown of Oregon in the season opener. Only one of those first-year players, however, started. That guy was Mykel Williams, who started at defensive end.
DawgsHQ broke the news that Williams was expected to start about 45 minutes before kickoff and it certainly played out that way with the former five-star prospect on the field for the opening snap. He went on to play 29 snaps in the game, posting one solo tackle.
According to Kirby Smart, it wasn’t a strong stretch of practices during preseason camp that earned Williams the start. It wasn’t flashes of brilliance, either. It was a level of consistency dating back to his first few practices as a Bulldog after he enrolled in January.
“…Pactices led to it, just like it’ll lead to him not starting,” Smart said on Monday. “If he doesn’t practice well, it’s not real hard for us — you know, you base it on who practices the best, who gives you the best chance to win. And he’s done that, really, since he’s got here. His work ethic and his humility has been off the charts. And if he continues to do that, coupled with his ability, then he’ll probably continue to start. But he’s got to play well and he’s got to play big for a guy that’s 260, 265.”
Williams has some big shoes to fill. Travon Walker, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, manned that defensive end position for Georgia throughout its 2021 National Championship season.
Like Walker, Williams arrived at Georgia with that hype-ridden five-star rating. When the dust settled on the 2022 recruiting cycle, Williams was seen as the nation’s No. 6 overall prospect and No. 2 defensive lineman by the On3 Consensus, which takes into account rankings at three other outlets. He was the No. 2 player in the Peach State.
The On3 in-house recruiting rankings had Williams ranked even higher. There he was viewed as the nation’s No. 2 overall prospect and No. 1 defensive lineman. He also held the top spot in Georgia.
Despite the fact that Williams played his high school ball in the Peach State, it wasn’t always a given that he’d sign with Georgia. In fact, he committed to USC prior to the start of his senior season. UGA continued to recruit Williams heavily and eventually got him to flip his commitment.
“Mykel Williams was a special prospect in this class from early on,” Smart told On3 this summer. “It became clear he was a kid we not only wanted, but needed to sign, being from our home state. We can all fall in love with his film, his athletic ability, and his size, but the ultimate separator for Mykel was so much more than that. He is a kid that fits what we want in our program in terms of leadership and character. He can bring a lot to the table while also raising the standard of those around him.”
