DALLAS — Mykel Williams knows the Georgia defense this year has plenty of potential.
Perhaps no player epitomizes that idea more than Williams himself.
“I like to say Mykel is a generational talent, the things that he can do,” Malaki Starks said of Williams. “He’s very, very important to our defense. We wouldn’t be the same without him.”
Williams is seen as one of the top defensive prospects in the country this season. The talent of Williams has never been in question. He was a 5-star edge rusher in the 2022 recruiting class and finished with 4.5 sacks as a freshman.
But the production didn’t jump in his sophomore season. Part of that, per Kirby Smart, was due to a preseason injury that limited at the start of the season.
“He never really got a great camp, and I’ve said it repeatedly, one thing I know as a coach is, when you miss all of camp and then just shoot in to start the season, it doesn’t work real well that way. You don’t have your best seasons,” Smart said. “He’s healthy right now. We need him to maintain that.”
Georgia hopes that moving Williams around will set him up for more success. Georgia experimented with playing Williams at the Jack position in the Orange Bowl against Florida State. The move worked, with Williams having his most impactful game of the season against the Seminoles.
Williams estimates his time is now split 60/40 between the defensive line and outside linebacker positions. It’ll be a different role for Williams, one he’s still getting accustomed to.
“It’s going to be a change on first and second down,” Williams said. “My job has been learning the adjustments, learning the coverages, learning what I need to be, learning what I need to be doing. It’s been really kind of smooth based on the coaching staff and all the help we got. It’s been a smooth transition.”
Williams enters this season with plenty of confidence based on how he finished against Florida State. He backed up with an interception in Georgia’s spring game.
Georgia’s defense didn’t live up to its potential last season. It didn’t have one of the best run defenses in the country, as has been the standard under Kirby Smart. Against Alabama, it couldn’t get stops late and the Bulldogs no longer had an unbeaten record.
If Georgia is to accomplish its goals this coming season, it will need Williams to be the best and most impactful version of himself. That doesn’t just mean more sacks but more pressures and havoc plays as well.
“Really just hone in and play to the potential we have,” Williams said. “I feel like we have the potential to be one of the best defenses in America. We need to go in and do what we need to do.”
Williams stated that he is replaceable, in part because Georgia has recruited so well. While the junior is being modest, he isn’t exactly being truthful. Georgia doesn’t have another defensive lineman or outside linebacker who can wreck a game like Williams potentially can.
“Just the type of guy that he is, I think that’s the most important thing,” Starks said of Williams. “He’s a great guy and just his competitive spirit, just the way he goes about his business is huge, and I think that’s why he gels so well in our defense. He’s a big part of what we do.”
And whether it be as a defensive lineman or at outside linebacker, Georgia needs Williams to not just play up to his vast potential, but exceed it.
“He’s become very versatile for us in terms of what he does on the field,” Smart said. “There is no greater value than what he does in the locker room because he works every day. He is physical, enjoys practice. He is a great leader for us. He should be a huge asset for us.”
