Terian “TJ” Williams II started off last fall just trying to crack the varsity rotation at Parkview, which is a tall task for any freshman across the state, let alone on one of the more competitive teams in the largest classification in Georgia. The two-way player who shined as a QB throughout youth ball, even being named the #4 dual threat QB in the country for his class even, found himself on the varsity defensive last fall, primarily at safety, but also got in late at QB.
Adjusting is what Williams is all about though, and after making the most of his moments in varsity action, the class of 2022 athlete is heading into his first offseason in high school with the right mindset – improve.
“Offseason has been busy between visiting different schools, working out, and training for the next season coming up.”
Amazingly enough, Williams has seen his recruitment already take off, and several D1 schools have offered, but still, Williams is taking a wise approach to his recruitment.
“I’m taking my recruitment slow. Tenn, Kentucky, and Howard are my only offers right now. Some of the other schools showing interest is LSU, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tech. I’m really taking it slow right now tho, just letting process come to me.”
Williams is on the precipice of three big visits, the first one kicking off this weekend to Florida, and sure enough, the Parkview freshman is exciting about all of the opportunities. Apparently, Williams is not the only one excited though, and even the Florida head coach, Dan Mullen, retweeted his announcement on twitter that Williams is visiting.
“Florida is coming up this Saturday. I’m really just ready to see the atmosphere. The first contact practice is going on Saturday, I get to the intensity and see how Dan Mullin gets the team going through stuff. I know they are going to show out this year,” Williams said.
Williams then went to talk about his Georgia visit, which is going on the following weekend on the 23rd.
“Georgia visit, I’m really ready to get to meet all of the coaches, which I yet to meet all of them. They have good athletics, but I also want to see what their academics are all about too.”
The last visit that Williams is taking during college spring ball is South Carolina on March 30th.
“South Carolina I haven’t been up there in a few years, but I want to see the facilities and meet more of the coaches too. Just see how are things going up there.”
In terms of college camps, Williams has nothing really set in stone, but has a few schools in mind that he would like to visit during the summer. “I have a few camps coming up, nothing yet really solid just yet. I want to get out there to LSU, Arkansas, Ohio State and at least some of the west coast schools.”
Williams sports a 3.8 GPA and has tested out with qualifying test scores of 1200 on the SAT and a 24 on the ACT, which is really incredible for a class of 2022 athlete. Point being, there was little surprise for his studious answer.
“My biggest strength is being the coach on the field, I think that’s something every coach looks for, especially at the quarterback position, you have control of everything going on, you are the leader on the field. You get the keys to the offense, and take it from there.”
Right now, Williams has definitely moved himself to the front of the pack in his recruiting class, and certainly looks like one of the more recruitable players at this point. His promising film coupled with his strong academics should draw the attention of a lot of colleges both locally and at a national level. The athletic freshman’s versatility to play on both offense and defense should open up some additional doors, but right now, his only varsity film is at DB really, outside a few gem passes he threw late in games.
“I haven’t really decided between the two positions just yet. I’m a freshman, but as the years go on, I’m pretty sure I will lean to one over the other. On offense I like making plays with my arms and legs. On defense, I’m a ballhawk, so I’m really just trying to make plays on both sides. Whichever one really takes to me is the one that I’m going to pick,” Williams explained.
Parkview is definitely one of the more talented teams in the state, and you can pretty much bank on them making our preseason top 5 for 7-A. The Panthers lost a close game with a divisive ending vs Archer, who went on to make it to the state semifinals. Williams is already hungry to accomplish both his personal goals, and get his team back to their powerhouse status of the 2000’s.
“My goal this upcoming fall is to make my name known. So when someone says something about Parkview high school, I want them to say that’s the high school where TJ goes to school. I want to make my name known. Also, I want to bring back a championship to Parkview, that’s really a big team goal, and I’m all about making my great.”
Williams will have to wait his turn another year at QB with Jordan Williams returning for his senior year, but it’s easy to see the class of 2022 athlete getting more reps on the offensive side of the football. Just watching his film, his elusiveness to evade tackles and create plays on the fly is absolutely an asset to any offense. Expect Williams to make another jump this upcoming fall, he’s working hard in the weight room, and at 6′ and 180 lbs, he has the frame to make a big impact in the competitive Gwinnett County football scene.
