This is another in an occasional series of interviews with the new assistant coaches that will work with new coach Trent Miles at Georgia State.

Next up is defensive backs coach J.D. Williams:

Q: How is the recruiting going?

A: So far, so good. Coming from the Western region of the United States, I find there’s a lot of defensive linemen out this way. They are falling off trees.

We are being welcomed into a lot of places. Now that we are Division I, a lot of people are welcoming us in. It gives another opportunity for Atlanta kids to stay at home and play Division I football. The start is great.

Q: Talk about your philosophy. What do you look for?

A: Speed. You look at the national title game and Alabama obviously has the pick of the litter, but speed separates everything.

You want bigger, faster. If you can get faster, you have a chance. That’s where the game is going. Offenses now, it’s all spread out and things are moving fast. Speed is the main ingredient, and intelligence, you have to have that.

Q: Have you had a chance to look at last year’s tape?

A: A little bit. They did some good things and some not-so-good things. You see mistakes but then you see flashes of things that look really good. A full evaluation will take some time when we get a chance to work with the kids.

Q: From what you have seen, how much more strength and speed are needed to hold up on the FBS level?

A: We have to improve. The kids that we have here, they are on the edge of FCS and FBS. We have to get them to start believing they belong. If they start believing they belong they will play to a certain level. It’s tough when you come in and building a program and it’s time to make the jump. It’s a matter of getting the kids here to play up a level and then recruit past them. You have to continue to recruit past the classes that are here.

Q: What’s the single most important teaching lesson you learned as a player and coach?

A: You have to have confidence in your abilities, whatever they may be. It starts there, with you. If you believe you can do it, you will work to that. If you don’t believe you can do it, it will be tough to be successful.

We’ve got to get the kids to believe. Last year’s season was last year. There’s no need to dwell on it. You can’t bring it back. Learn from the mistakes you made. Learn from the positives. That’s even more important, you have to learn from the positives and build up on those.

Other headlines

Catching up with new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter

Catching up offensive line coach Harold Etheridge

The Georgia State blog is moving to a new page on ajc.com; please come and visit

Beginning now, this blog is moving to a new home within AJC Sports, and we are making some other changes that we hope the members of this blog community will enjoy.

Game stories, features and articles and player profiles will move from the blogs into our sports news pages.

The blog will focus on the issues you and others are talking about, with opinion and analysis front and center.

Readers will now be asked to register before posting comments in the blogs and stories. We value the spirited discussion and debate, and believe this change will improve the interactivity for everyone.

Bookmarks and RSS feeds: If you visit the blog from a bookmark or use an RSS reader, you will need to update those links.

Thanks for being part of the ajc.com Sports community.