Williams working hard, even in his spare time, as he prepares for season

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Jun 28 13:17:58 GMT-04:00 2011

DeShawn Williams DeShawn Williams
Defensive Line
# 6-1, 295
Central, SC
View Full Profile says that break time is no time to rest; it’s when you put in the extra work that makes you better than everybody else.

Williams put his belief into action this week, working out twice a day in the summer heat during the break between Summer Session One – which ended the 23rd – and the beginning of Summer Session Two.

“I don’t want to waste the three weeks I have already put in,” Williams told TigerNet Tuesday. “I don’t want to come back to Summer Session Two out of shape. I worked hard over those three weeks in the summer workouts. I have to be honest, it overwhelmed me that first week, but I guess that is what every college freshman goes through. This is not high school anymore. I just need to stay focused and do what I need to do.”

The 6-1, 295-pound defensive tackle grew up in the shadow of Clemson’s Memorial Stadium and is a graduate of Daniel High School. As a Lion, he tallied 291 tackles, 54 tackles for loss and 14 sacks, but now he realizes he has to start over.

“I need to work on my technique more,” he said. “In high school, you can just blow by kids. But in college, every player was an offensive or defensive All-American at their high school. There are a lot of things I can work on – not just one thing. You can’t just go off your talent. I have to work on all parts of my game.”

Williams, the son of former Clemson running back Ronald Williams, said that the first round of summer workouts also allowed him to learn from his new teammates on the defensive line.

“They saw the way I work, and they told me I have a bright future ahead of me,” he said. “I am pretty cool with Brandon ThompsonBrandon Thompson
Defensive Tackle
#98 6-2, 310
Thomasville, GA
View Full Profile and Andre BranchAndre Branch
Defensive End
#40 6-5, 260
Richmond, VA
View Full Profile . I have known Rennie MooreRennie Moore
Defensive Tackle
#94 6-4, 270
Saint Marys, GA
View Full Profile since I committed to Clemson. Those three took me under their wings, and they told me to play with my hands more and to stay low. When we had position drills, they saw how quick my hands are, and they told me I will be a great player when I leave here.”

He said he would prefer to not redshirt this season, but is prepared in case that happens.

“I think that really depends on how well I do in camp in August and how well I do these last three weeks of summer,” he said. “I don’t want to redshirt, but if I have to, I am not going to be mad about it. But if they want me to play, I will come out and take it head on and do what I have to do to help the team. If I can come out and contribute and help with the pass rush then that is what I will do. I want to do whatever the coaches want me to do.”

If he does get to play, he said he is already taking a peek at the schedule.

“The game that really sticks out to me is Auburn because we need to get those guys back,” he said. “And we need to get back at South Carolina for what they did. Most of the games are going to be tough. I have already been looking at Troy [the opener] and they aren’t a team you can look over. They can throw the ball really well and spread you out.”

Talking about the schedule brought him back to where he started – saying there isn’t time for a break right now.

“The first two weeks of summer seemed to take forever,” he said. “But time is going by really fast now. I was looking at the schedule, and we have three more weeks of workouts before camp starts. No rest. We just need to work and get where we need to be this year.”