It all happened so quick for Jamyest Williams.
Drew Lock takes a quick drop back, looks to his left and fires a quick strike to his receiver. What happened next was Williams sprinting over, jumping the route and notching his first career interception.
He was so amped afterward he didn’t know what to do so he opted with hanging onto the ball and celebrating with different teammates as they ran up to him on the field.
It was just his first career pick, but the first of many for the freshman his teammates think.
“He’s a ball player. He has great hands, great eyes,” linebacker Eldridge Thompson said. “That’s his strong suit. People don’t know that, but he’s a ball player.”
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Williams has been a key contributor to lead off the year for Will Muschamp’s defense, starting both games at nickel and playing every defensive snap against Missouri.
He had to learn quickly in the Gamecocks’ first game against N.C. State and had just two tackles against the Wolfpack. He responded nicely against the Tigers, picking up six tackles. That was tied for second-most on the team.
His teammates see the week-to-week improvement and think he’s going to just keep getting better the more games he plays in this year.
“He keeps improving and learning the defense well,” safety Chris Lammons said. “He’s just going to keep growing as a young guy trying to figure out what he has right now. But he keeps improving.”
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Williams, or as the players call him “Jam,” fits into Muschamp and defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson’s defensive mold of aggressive players that can force turnovers.
Including his interception from Saturday, the Gamecock defense is plus-four in the turnover battle with two picks and three forced fumbles.
“We’re going to need to be an opportunistic team. The most important thing about this game is the ball; they named the game after it. And we got to get possession of the ball,” Muschamp said after the N.C. State game. “Our guys are very cognizant about getting the ball off of people.”
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There’s no question Williams will likely be a major contributor defensively as the Gamecocks get deeper into their SEC schedule, and that’s no surprise for his teammates.
They see him every day in practice and know what he can do.
“He’s balling. He’s doing what he’s supposed to do,” Thompson said. “Everyone’s excited for the Jam.”
