fbpx

ACC Bound: Ja’cquez Williams

He is a hard-running, multi-position athlete for the Liberty County Panthers who runs a 4.4 40-yard dash and has a quick-cutting running style that makes defenders miss. Ja’cquez Williams is a hard working, 6’2″, 195-pound back whose intense drive will soon take him to the next level.

ACC Bound: Ja'cquez Williams
ACC Bound: Ja’cquez Williams

The Hinesville senior’s strong work ethic and constant desire to improve have opened the doors to one of the country’s most prestigious institutions, Wake Forest University. He will soon go from the flatlands of Coastal Georgia to the Piedmont of North Carolina and the Winston-Salem campus to play football for Coach Dave Clawson’s Demon Deacons in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“I traveled to Wake for a camp and I got offered soon after,” Williams says. “When I visited the school, it felt like home. Everyone knew who I was and what I had to offer. I honestly feel like I can better my entire self there, and that’s why I chose Wake.”

Williams has dedicated himself to learning the physical and mental aspects of football. He wants to broaden his knowledge of the game and perfect his craft. He realizes that the physical part of the game will happen in college, but that it is more about understanding the X’s and O’s to continue to succeed.

“Whatever his weaknesses were in the past, he always worked on improving them,” says Liberty County Panthers head football coach Kirk Warner. “He has become a total player for us and definitely a team leader. He leads by example always willing to go the extra mile for the program. From performing on the field to cleaning the locker room he is always on the front line.”

With additional duties as a receiver on offense and a linebacker on defense, Williams goes out each play to leave it all on the field and make his family proud. This season, he was named Offensive Player of the Year for Region 3-AAAA.

He got the desire to play football from watching his two brothers in the recreation league.

web MI inset1 SE 1215“I told them after a game that I would play and be the best one out of all of us,” he says.

On his very first play in the Liberty County Recreation League, he was suddenly switched from quarterback to running back and he scored a touchdown. He moved on and played for Selson Golden Middle School before finally ending up at Liberty County High School, where he became a starter for the Panthers his sophomore year. Over the past two seasons, he has become a team leader. His leadership meant a great deal to the talent-laden Panthers this year as they worked their way to a 7-3 record and a number-two seed in Region 3-AAAA. Their success allowed Liberty to host, and win, a state playoff game for the first time in school history.

Williams’ abilities on the field attracted a great deal of attention from college scouts this season. In addition to Wake Forest, he had interest from Purdue, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Massachusetts, Troy, South Carolina, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Liberty, East Carolina, and UNC-Charlotte.

He credits his father, Chris Williams, for guiding him along the right path and getting him to this point.

“He taught me little things to help my get that edge that everyone wanted,” he says. “He’s the reason along with my mother, that I am who I am.”

Before donning the gold and black of the Demon Deacons, Williams must prepare for the academic expectations that will come with attending such a highly touted academic institution. He has a solid 3.0 grade point average and hopes to earn his master’s degree within four years with a major in business and a concentration in economics.

Whether on the field or in the classroom, Coach Warner believes the sky is the limit for Williams and that Wake Forest is only the first step.

“I can definitely see him being a major contributor and possible superstar if he stays focused and continues to exhibit those work ethics and leadership traits he has until this point,” Coach Warner says.

Fast Fact:

Going into his junior year, Ja’cquez Williams stood before an automatic throwing machine after practice one day and caught a 100mph pass with one hand.


SE-MI-1215-Williams

Most Improved

Jacquez Williams

Liberty County

(W) Rob Asbell

(P) Jeffrey Griffith

ACC Bound

Related Articles

Stay Connected

0FansLike
3,912FollowersFollow
21,600SubscribersSubscribe

Latest Articles