Florida State is four practices into spring ball, and the pads have come on as the Seminoles prepare for the 2025 season. There are many new faces on the roster and staff, and this time of the year gives coaches a chance to evaluate the team’s identity and for players to stand out ahead of fall camp.
One player in particular who has caught the eye of head coach Mike Norvell thus far is Nebraska transfer defensive lineman James Williams, who followed his position coach and defensive coordinator to Florida State from the Cornhuskers.
While the competition runs deep, the ‘Noles will need a go-to guy off the edge if they want to reclaim ACC supremacy. At first glance, Norvell says that Williams has already put himself into a position to make an impact after day two in pads.
“We’re continuing to push the competition at every position. Guys are trying to establish themselves. Newcomers, as they’re coming into the program, trying to put themselves in a position to show that they’re ready to make an impact,” Norvell said to the media on Tuesday. “I think James Williams has had a really, really good last two days in pads.”
It is no surprise that Williams is standing out in spring. He is coming off a breakout campaign in 2024, where he recorded 14 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks. The 6’6”, 262-pound “sack man,” as his position coach Terrance Knighton calls him, joined the Cornhuskers after being underrecruited out of high school and enrolling at Iowa Central Community College.
Norvell says that Williams is embracing the work ethic and has put on great weight as he continues his journey at the Division 1 level.
“You get pads on, you get to see the transition of physicality. I mean, he’s done a great job in the winter program putting on great body weight, strength, size,” Norvell continued. “You see the player that, what he’s done in past years, and one of the things we continue to encourage is just the play-in, play-out production and the type of player that he can be. I think you feel him embracing that.”
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So what does it take for the starting nod on a Florida State defense? Aside from being a top-tier talent, it takes the ability to bring your teammates around you and push them to a higher level while setting high expectations and standards. Norvell says he’s done just that.
“The way that he can bend and work his body and then just the mentality of what he’s bringing, I like. We still want to see that play in and play out, first quarter to the fourth quarter. I think that he’s one of those guys that embraces that expectation and really trying to push others to match that.”
As spring moves on and summer workouts near, Williams will be a name to watch out for looking ahead.
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