Growing up in South Florida, Ryan Williams loved the University of Miami.
But the Hurricanes didn’t love him back. At least not Randy Shannon, the former UM coach.
As a senior, Williams led Miramar High School to the 6A championship and broke Tim Tebow’s record in the state title game against Deland by throwing five touchdown passes.
Pretty impressive, but not for UM’s coaching staff, which completely ignored Williams during the recruiting process.
Instead, Williams went to Memphis and started 10 games as a freshman. A pair of coaching changes — one at Memphis and the other at Miami, with Shannon being replaced by Al Golden — led to Williams’ transfer to UM in January 2010.
While Shannon didn’t see Williams as worthy of a scholarship, Golden will likely start the 6-foot-6 sophomore Saturday night against No. 12 Florida State with the Hurricanes’ season hanging in the balance.
Williams’ ran UM’s No. 1 offense Monday with starter Stephen Morris sidelined by a nasty left ankle sprain he suffered in an 18-14 loss to North Carolina on Saturday. Golden hasn’t definitively named Williams the starter, although that might be more to give FSU some doubt than a realistic expectation that Morris will play against the Seminoles.
“If his number is called, he’s ready to go,” Golden said of Williams after Monday’s practice. “He took command today, understood everything (and) ran the show. He’s ready for the opportunity.”
Williams might be on the verge of his first start at Miami (4-3, 3-1 ACC), but he has plenty of college experience. At Memphis in 2010, Williams replaced former UM quarterback Cannon Smith as the Tigers’ starter after an injury. He won the first game he started, then lost nine consecutive games directing a Memphis team (1-11) that was dreadful.
Williams played well for a freshman, passing for 2,075 yards and 13 touchdowns, and might still be at Memphis if not for a coaching change that resulted in a different offensive philosophy.
“They were going to change to a more spread-style offense, and I wanted a more pro-style offense, which is what [UM offensive coordinator Jedd] Fisch runs,” Williams said. “I thought it was a good fit coming back home.”
It also turned into a good fit for the Hurricanes, especially after former Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier reneged on his decision to attend Miami. With the prospect of going into the 2012 season with Morris as the team’s only experienced quarterback, UM quickly moved to secure Williams once he became available.
“He’s a very poised kid, he’s got great size, he’s smart,” Fisch said.
But can he beat Florida State, which enters Saturday’s game at Sun Life Stadium as a 17 1/2-point favorite?
If Williams starts, he will face a Seminoles defense that is among the nation’s stingiest. FSU ranks third in total defense and fourth in scoring defense. With Williams lacking Morris’ arm strength and quick feet, he’s likely to be tested plenty Saturday night.
“Yeah, you expect them to maybe do something different, maybe pressure some more, just because I’m not the starter and maybe they expect me to be confused or do something different, and maybe I’ll make a mistake,” Williams said.
Williams made a couple of them after replacing Morris in the fourth quarter against North Carolina. He completed 9 of 13 attempts for 80 yards but took a bad sack on one play and threw short on a 4th-and-16 situation that sealed UM’s loss.
With Morris’ status iffy at best, Williams might get a chance to redeem himself Saturday. The UM-FSU rivalry is one that Williams watched closely growing up and dreamed about participating in.
“Everyone comes here to play the big games, to win championships,” Williams said. “This is one of the biggest games of the year. Just a lot of excitement, a lot of people, very loud. It should be fun.”
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