Ty Williams Poised to Lead Nasty Bunch

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Senior Ty Williams grew up in a small town that sits 52 miles from Ole Miss and 111 miles from Mississippi State, yet always rooted for a school that sat 226 miles to the south – Southern Miss.

"I'm a Mississippi guy for sure," Williams said. "I already had it planned out - the schools I always wanted to go to were Southern Miss, Mississippi State or Ole Miss.

"I always wanted to stay in my state."

Before Williams could make the four-hour drive to Hattiesburg and help a defense that ranked No. 3 nationally in yards per game in his junior campaign, the Charleston, Miss. native made the 169-mile drive to East Mississippi Community College.

After graduating from Charleston High School as a two-way standout on the gridiron, Williams knew his path would lead to the junior college route. He took the JUCO lifestyle in stride and realized he would leave EMCC in a better position to crack a Division I roster than when he left Charleston.

"The JUCO system is all about learning," Williams said. "When you commit to a Division I school [after JUCO], you will be more experienced than just coming straight out of high school and playing Division I."

That mindset took Williams' play to the next level. He left EMCC with 66 career tackles, three interceptions in 2017, and landed a National Championship trophy.

Although those numbers turned some heads of Golden Eagle coaches, it wasn't the first time Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson showed interest in the gritty defender. While at Alcorn State, Hopson recruited Williams out of high school. And once it was time for Williams to sign with a four-year school, Hopson finally found himself as a front-runner to land the talented cornerback.

"Coach Hop recruited me the whole way," Williams said. "He was the first person to recruit me. I felt like he was loyal from the time he stepped through the door.

"Coach Hop always stuck with me, so I was going to stick with him."

Hopson got exactly was he was looking for: a cornerback that could make an immediate impact to the Nasty Bunch. The experienced Williams accounted for 49 tackles, six tackles for a loss, and three interceptions in his first season for the Golden Eagles.

Williams credits a lot of his success to playing alongside Picasso Nelson Jr., who is now with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL. Nelson Jr. not only showed Williams what it takes to play the cornerback position at the Division I level, but also what it takes to be a leader at that level.

"Picasso always had the energy and uplifted us every day," Williams said. "When he made a play or someone else made a play, he was excited. We would feed off his energy and his energy was like no other."

This season, he knows he's the next man up to fill Nelson Jr.'s role as the energy guy. First-year cornerbacks coach Akeem Davis has played a huge role in helping Williams grow into that role.

The former NFL player brings an energy to the field that is unmatched, which Williams has taken note of.

"Coach 'Keem brings a lot of energy to the table each and every day," Williams said. "He's also a man of God. Every morning before we come out to practice we always read scriptures. He's a good father figure to all of us."

With Hopson, Davis and the entire Nasty Bunch backing Williams in his senior campaign, the Charleston kid is ready to make an impact on the field this season. Once the season is over, Williams is ready to fulfill his other childhood goal of cracking an NFL roster.

Williams may not be as far off from that goal as he thinks. With his 2018 numbers to back his game up, this season is another opportunity for him to put Southern Miss back on top and find himself a post-college job.

"To make a 53-man roster, that's all I want to do," Williams said. "I want to show the people from my town that we can do anything as long as we put our mind to it."

Williams and the Golden Eagles will kick off the 2019 slate on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. versus Alcorn State. Single-game and season tickets are on sale via SouthernMissTickets.com, calling 1-800-844-TICK, or visiting the Pat Ferlise Center during normal business hours.

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Ty Williams Poised to Lead Nasty Bunch

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