'Why not come to Ann Arbor?' Tré Williams, nicknamed 'Unc,' brings experience, leadership to Michigan

Michigan Wolverines football prioritized adding reinforcements along the interior of the defensive line after losing Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant to the NFL Draft. As a result, in came transfers Tré Williams (Clemson) and Damon Payne Jr. (Alabama), both of whom possess plenty of college experience.

The 6-foot-2, 315-pound Williams is entering his sixth season of college football, having appeared in 44 games with four starts and logged 720 defensive snaps.

“On the field, I bring leadership, passion, experience — big-game experience — physicality,” Williams said on ‘In The Trenches’ with Jon Jansen. “I try to be almost like, I don’t want to say a tone-setter, but I kinda want to set the example and be the example. I guess a tone-setter.”

Off the field, Williams is a funny, fun-loving individual who’s already garnered rave reviews from his teammates.

“I’m a very family-oriented guy, someone who believes in tight-knit groups, someone who wants to bring people together, bring people along,” Williams explained. “A friendly guy you can always talk to. Just one of those guys, just being the old head in the locker room.”

He spent five years at one school — Clemson — before deciding to make a move to Michigan. It just made sense to play for the Wolverines in his final year of college football.

“I don’t think that’s the right question,” Williams replied when asked why he chose the Wolverines. “I think the right question is, why not come to Ann Arbor?

“You guys have everything somebody like me could want: great history of defensive tackles, defensive linemen, great defenses, great tradition with the school and the alumni base. There’s no reason why I wouldn’t have come here.”

At 23 years old, Williams is easily the oldest player in Michigan’s defensive tackle group. As such, he’s earned a nickname that makes him laugh but that he’s embracing.

“Yeah, I’m ‘Unc.’ I get called ‘Unc’ a lot around here,” Williams remarked. “I’m still trying to get used to it. It’s a little frustrating sometimes, but it comes with the territory.

“I’m honored to be called ‘Unc,’ because that means you know something. They don’t call you ‘Unc’ if you don’t know anything. I just try to give my knowledge where I can, and the guys have been really receptive. A bunch of the guys ask me a bunch of different questions, just about my experiences and stuff like that. And I’m an open book; I tell the guys everything.”

The Windsor, Conn., native is a big personality, but his goal was to let his actions speak more loudly than his words in his first few months at Michigan.

“From January to the end of spring ball, I really just wanted to show everybody my work — from the coaches to my teammates, my strength coaches, the staff,” Williams explained. “I wanted everybody in Schembechler Hall to know, OK, Tré Williams is a worker, he grinds and we didn’t miss on this guy. That’s what I really focused on — leading by example.

“And then after the spring, I had a meeting with my coach, and he was like, in order for us to really take it to that next step, I need to be more vocal.”

Michigan’s defensive line underwent a lot of change this offseason, from the additions of Williams and Payne to losing three top-100 NFL Draft picks in Graham, Grant and EDGE Josaiah Stewart. But Williams said he didn’t come in to replace anybody, instead bring his own flavor.

“I just take it one step at a time, and I didn’t come here to be anybody else,” he said. “I came here to be Tré Williams. I feel like if I just go out there every day and be the best version of Tré Williams, Michigan fans will be just fine, the Michigan Wolverines will be just fine, everybody will be just fine.”

Williams’ deep appreciation for the game will shine through this year at Michigan.

“I’m gonna kinda backtrack a little bit because I want people to get to know me,” he began. “I’ve had football taken away from me. I’ve had a bunch of injuries, minor setbacks, and nothing is worse than when the game is away from you.

“It’s very easy to take the game for granted when you have it all the time and you can do it every day, but it’s those days when you can’t and you’re on the sideline watching and you feel that feeling inside of you where it’s like you don’t know what it is almost. Those times brought my love for football way up, even more than it already was when I was a kid, just a deeper appreciation for it.”

Williams easily could’ve given up at any point, but the new Michigan lineman stayed the course through adversity.

“I leaned on my ‘why,’ just because I knew this was bigger than me,” he mentioned. “If it was just about me, I could’ve quit three, four years ago, and it would’ve just been fine. But I know that I have people that are counting on me at home, and just the bond I built with my former teammates over there, they were counting on me to get back and be who I was, be who I am. 

“It was just that, just doing everything for other people.”

For his teammates, coaches and the Michigan fans, Williams will bring his all this season. He can already feel the defensive line group come together.

“First of all, we hang out a lot,” he said. “We made a rule in the room, we have to hang out as a group once a week, at least. At least!”

Dominating once a week, on Saturdays, is the goal this fall.