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Willie Williams & Kenny Phillips 2003 Carol City Highlights

Barboni

Barboni

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2 former Canes. This might be the only available hs highlights for Willie Williams.

[video=youtube;IcEoPCTKPIM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcEoPCTKPIM[/video]

[video=youtube;cWW6dLaXEWQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWW6dLaXEWQ[/video]
 
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The recruitment of Willie Williams was a circus like non other. All for, literally, nothing. I don't think I ever saw a can't miss kid miss so badly. UM bent over backwards to get him into school, then once he got here his talents weren't used correctly, and he couldn't fit into what the D was trying to do. I think Coker and company could have done a better job finding a place for WW. A job on the field he COULD do. Instead they tried to make him fit into a system he just didn't get. Square peg meet round hole.
 
Kid had some LT in him in more way than one. If he showed up here in 1998 it may have had a different outcome.
 
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3FW said:
Kid had some LT in him in more way than one. If he showed up here in 1998 it may have had a different outcome.
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this.. didn't WW go off against VT on '05? Was at the game and thought he showed a glimpse of what everyone thought he would be
 
He was the classic example of the high-drama recruit that did nothing. It seems like the more issues they create with recruiting, the less they do on the field.
 
That was probably the greatest defense in south fla history. And yes, Ricky Jean Francois was on that squad. And a LB named Vernon Wilder who was a beast too.

CC was all defense that year. Their offense was average but when your defense is that dominant it doesnt matter.
 
I don't think anyone here will question Willie's natural athletic ability. Even in his limited playing time he made plays as a RS freshman leading special teams in tackles and backing up John Beason (no small task) when needed.

However, I'm one of the few that believe Willie would have failed no matter where he went to play football. I knew Willie while at UM and hung out with him on and off during his redshirt year - make no mistake, he is the poster child for "young man desperately needs a father figure, a mentor and a chaperon". He also needed to get the F away from South Florida.

Don't get me wrong, he was actually a pretty nice guy and relatively quiet. But he was a 19 y/o kid with the maturity of a 15 y/o. There are endless stories of Willie doing really dumb/shady sh*t while at UM - checking bikes on campus to see if they were locked up (in broad daylight), attempting to steal money from a student athlete poker game, not knowing his class schedule 8 weeks into the semester, asking to borrow other students' food cards to buy something from the UC dining hall (even though he was on the student athlete meal plan), randomly asking another student if he could borrow their car to run an "errand" then not returning it for 24 hours. Again, just really dumb stuff.

I mean, most of those things were pretty laughable at the time - kid was a hustler. But thinking back, Willie had been hustling for so long growing up that he was never able to grow up and just go to class and play football for 2-3 years before going pro. It was like he never realized how special he was and had no one to slap the immaturity out of him.

Sorry for the rant - but EVERYONE on campus knew Willie for two things: 1) he could be an NFL All-Pro one day and 2) don't ever leave anything of value unattended while hanging out with him.
 
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ThomasM said:
The recruitment of Willie Williams was a circus like non other. All for, literally, nothing. I don't think I ever saw a can't miss kid miss so badly. UM bent over backwards to get him into school, then once he got here his talents weren't used correctly, and he couldn't fit into what the D was trying to do. I think Coker and company could have done a better job finding a place for WW. A job on the field he COULD do. Instead they tried to make him fit into a system he just didn't get. Square peg meet round hole.
Click to expand...

To validate that point

The 21 wildest National Signing Day stories, from Willie Williams to Landon Collins - SBNation.com
 
HurricaneAce07 said:
I don't think anyone here will question Willie's natural athletic ability. Even in his limited playing time he made plays as a RS freshman leading special teams in tackles and backing up John Beason (no small task) when needed.

However, I'm one of the few that believe Willie would have failed no matter where he went to play football. I knew Willie while at UM and hung out with him on and off during his redshirt year - make no mistake, he is the poster child for "young man desperately needs a father figure, a mentor and a chaperon". He also needed to get the F away from South Florida.

Don't get me wrong, he was actually a pretty nice guy and relatively quiet. But he was a 19 y/o kid with the maturity of a 15 y/o. There are endless stories of Willie doing really dumb/shady sh*t while at UM - checking bikes on campus to see if they were locked up (in broad daylight), attempting to steal money from a student athlete poker game, not knowing his class schedule 8 weeks into the semester, asking to borrow other students' food cards to buy something from the UC dining hall (even though he was on the student athlete meal plan), randomly asking another student if he could borrow their car to run an "errand" then not returning it for 24 hours. Again, just really dumb stuff.

I mean, most of those things were pretty laughable at the time - kid was a hustler. But thinking back, Willie had been hustling for so long growing up that he was never able to grow up and just go to class and play football for 2-3 years before going pro. It was like he never realized how special he was and had no one to slap the immaturity out of him.

Sorry for the rant - but EVERYONE on campus knew Willie for two things: 1) he could be an NFL All-Pro one day and 2) don't ever leave anything of value unattended while hanging out with him.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing. I know most posters come on here and tell lies but this sounds like the god **** truth if I ever heard it. Goes to show the state of our football program at the time as well. How we just didnt have any real leaders. You think this crap goes on during the days of Ed Reed and Jon Vilma running the show? They would have kept him focus. Smh.

I mean look at Gerald Willis. He was a "problem child" and MANY posters on here would have bet their house that he would have been kicked out of UM by now. But with the help of leaders like Dobard and other guys he has stayed in line and is looking like he is going to be a star.

I am glad it seems like we are getting back to the days of "I am my Brothers Keeper" and hold your teammates accountable but at the same time looking out for one another.
 
ThomasM said:
The recruitment of Willie Williams was a circus like non other. All for, literally, nothing. I don't think I ever saw a can't miss kid miss so badly. UM bent over backwards to get him into school, then once he got here his talents weren't used correctly, and he couldn't fit into what the D was trying to do. I think Coker and company could have done a better job finding a place for WW. A job on the field he COULD do. Instead they tried to make him fit into a system he just didn't get. Square peg meet round hole.
Click to expand...

He went to Louisville and didn't fit their system either. I agree, however, was the biggest lock for stardom I ever saw coming out of high school and it never came close to happening.
 
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Rellyrell said:
ThomasM said:
The recruitment of Willie Williams was a circus like non other. All for, literally, nothing. I don't think I ever saw a can't miss kid miss so badly. UM bent over backwards to get him into school, then once he got here his talents weren't used correctly, and he couldn't fit into what the D was trying to do. I think Coker and company could have done a better job finding a place for WW. A job on the field he COULD do. Instead they tried to make him fit into a system he just didn't get. Square peg meet round hole.
Click to expand...

To validate that point

The 21 wildest National Signing Day stories, from Willie Williams to Landon Collins - SBNation.com
Click to expand...

And the really sad thing is, Bryce Brown is also on that list. #1 rule to being a Miami Hurricane fan? We don't talk about Bryce Brown or Terry Porter.
 
I was at that Killian game.. Good old days at the OB..

Bobby Washington from the K fumbled twice in that Semi-finals game... The K had that 5 * star safety -Demetrice Mortley i believe#24.. (Tenneesee Commit).

Good Defensive game, the City had too many players on D such as #90 ,#17 and #31 - All studs.
 
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Spookcane said:
I was at that Killian game.. Good old days at the OB..

Bobby Washington from the K fumbled twice in that Semi-finals game... The K had that 5 * star safety -Demetrice Mortley i believe#24.. (Tenneesee Commit).

Good Defensive game, the City had too many players on D such as #90 ,#17 and #31 - All studs.
Click to expand...

I remember that game.

They also had 2 other highly rated kids. Both transfers from columbus: DB JR Bryant and TE Dane Guthrie (both committed to UM at one point). Dane was separating all night against KP.

The K had more talent that year than the following year, which is when they won states.
 
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willie was cool as ****...hung with him in my high school days....he was goofy as ****....would try that with who he could try that with.....

If Randy Shannon wasnt so stubborn his sitauation would of been a lil different....he didnt have to leave s.fla...just needed more direction while here...he had alot of carol city hanger onsback then though..Beason tried to give up his spot to get back in the middle for willie to get the outside...but it was tooo late...shannon had the glen cook love affair back then...and like u said willie was doin dumb off the field stuff....when he played i rememeber that va tech game he looked real good
 
gogeta4 said:
willie was cool as ****...hung with him in my high school days....he was goofy as ****....would try that with who he could try that with.....

If Randy Shannon wasnt so stubborn his sitauation would of been a lil different....he didnt have to leave s.fla...just needed more direction while here...he had alot of carol city hanger onsback then though..Beason tried to give up his spot to get back in the middle for willie to get the outside...but it was tooo late...shannon had the glen cook love affair back then...and like u said willie was doin dumb off the field stuff....when he played i rememeber that va tech game he looked real good
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I can second that. I've been good friends with his sister since high school and I agree he knew who he could and couldn't try the bs with, unfortunately, college campuses are filled with a lot of people who fall in the latter category. At his core though, Willie wasn't a bad kid, like dude said earlier, pretty nice and quiet in comparison to what he's perceived by those of us who know him through his recruiting diary & rap sheet. Kid wasn't raised by wolves, his pops died when he was a shorty and his mom definitely did her best. Those who know how well his siblings turned out can attest to that. Dude wasn't a Rhodes Scholar but he definitely had enough upstairs to get his degree. However, Willie had two fatal flaws that went hand in hand. The first being that set of sticky fingers that he picked up as a tween (and I hope he's finally got rid of em), and the second being the inability of having the consequences of his choices and actions resonate within him and make the necessary changes. He's had to learn some hard *** lessons, paid some steep prices and has to live with what could have been. I for one am pulling for bruh, hopefully prison was the drastic event that finally made it get through his head, there's a new generation of athletes in SoFla that could benefit from his cautionary tale and draw inspiration from his (possible) redemption story.
 
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