Early riser: Amaree Williams could make impact and one ahead of schedule
Amaree Williams’ long-term future is on defense. But his talent, past experience and short-term outlook is on offense.
What Williams is doing is somewhat rare. High school stars are often asked to play offense and defense and then they decide along with college coaches which side of the ball they will focus on. The difference is Williams’ focus in the summer and preseason camp is on tight end, while also seeking to add on weight and eventually settle in at defensive end in 2025.
And after reclassifying, he’s doing this in what was set to be his senior year of high school.
“He’s made some really good plays,” tight ends coach Chris Thomsen said. “Still obviously learning. In high school he was a little bit more out wide on the perimeter. The closer he gets to the ball, some of that stuff is new to him. But overall he’s done a great job of just coming in and trying to absorb all of the things that he’s asked to do.
"His play-making ability, his athleticism has shown up.”
The 6-foot-4, 219-pound Williams is among a group of true freshmen who have stood out through FSU’s first 11 preseason practices. And as the Seminoles make the trip to Jacksonville for a pair of practices on Wednesday and Thursday, Williams is very much in the mix for playing time at tight end.
That might be viewed as a bold statement, but Williams has been achieving ahead of schedule for some time. He expedited his high school graduation, announcing in December that he would reclassify and be a member of the 2025 signing class. Williams committed to FSU, signed in February, kept his head down on his coursework to graduate and arrived on campus ready to work this summer.
Coaches will often say in the spring that an early enrollee should be preparing for prom right now. Well, in Williams’ case, he should be preparing for a senior year of high school and football at the Benjamin School in North Palm Beach. But he instead is getting a crash course in the FSU offense while going up against what could be one of the nation’s top defenses.
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It remains to be seen how impactful Williams could be. But in a tight end room where opportunities are plentiful behind likely starter Kyle Morlock, Williams doesn’t look like a candidate to simply play four games and earn a redshirt in year 1 at FSU.
Williams has shown to have good hands, which he had on display in two seasons at The Benjamin School (561 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns). There are also rough moments, ones that are to be expected where he doesn’t yet have a full grasp of the playbook.
Coach Mike Norvell said Williams struggled in Saturday’s scrimmage but has impressed in FSU’s other 10 practices.
“The scrimmage was probably his toughest day. And that’s the thing you remind him about and you remind coaches, everybody, he should be going into his senior year of high school,” Norvell said. “And he was in Doak Campbell Stadium. There’s probably some nerves and all the things that he gets to go through.
“There were some areas that he knows, after seeing the scrimmage and living it throughout the moment, with coaches not on the field, having to go out there, the communication, the alignment, the execution, the finer details, and just the speed that accelerates in those type of live opportunities. It was something that I think was a learning process and experience for him.”
Norvell saw the bounce back from Williams in Monday’s practice, taking lessons from mistakes and continuing his development.
“You look at him: He's big, he can run, catch and all these things,” Norvell said. “He has to trust the process of growth just as we have to as well. But I'm very excited as well. And today was big, because I wanted to see how he would bounce back from his first scrimmage experience, and I thought he did an outstanding job.”
Back in July, Williams spoke of his transition to college and he even spent some time juggling meetings with the offense and defense. But after a conversation with Norvell, he and Williams agreed the focus should be on tight end. Time will tell how much playing time he earns this fall. But he’s proven that he belongs in college, right now, even if it’s ahead of schedule.
"I will have more of an impact on the tight end side right now,” Williams said last month. “At my weight, I can definitely produce at the tight end position where at edge, I would have to be 240, 250. Coach Norvell, we've talked about it. He knows I'm an athlete, I can produce on both sides of the field so he wants to get me on the field as soon as possible.”
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