'11 NY OLB Ishaq Williams (Signed ND LOI-EE)

[Sherm Sticky]

I believe when he has been in recently he has mostly been in pass coverage. I remember Kelly saying something like they like his lance in pass coverage.

 

[HoosierIrish]

Since the thread is already bumped, what's the deal with Ishaq? He was my favorite player in this class, infront of tuitt. I know he's only a sophomore, but I had really high hopes for him. Now with jaylon saying he wants to play cat, i'm worried Ishaq may not get the chance to be the All-American I thought he'd be.

Any chance he just isn't getting the role of outside linebacker? Could the staff make him a DE and have him put on 30 pounds this offseason. I just really want to see this kid succeed.

 

[woolybug25]

Since the thread is already bumped, what's the deal with Ishaq? He was my favorite player in this class, infront of tuitt. I know he's only a sophomore, but I had really high hopes for him. Now with jaylon saying he wants to play cat, i'm worried Ishaq may not get the chance to be the All-American I thought he'd be.

Any chance he just isn't getting the role of outside linebacker? Could the staff make him a DE and have him put on 30 pounds this offseason. I just really want to see this kid succeed.

He's 19 years old...

 

[TheTurningPoint]

Since the thread is already bumped, what's the deal with Ishaq? He was my favorite player in this class, infront of tuitt. I know he's only a sophomore, but I had really high hopes for him. Now with jaylon saying he wants to play cat, i'm worried Ishaq may not get the chance to be the All-American I thought he'd be.

Any chance he just isn't getting the role of outside linebacker? Could the staff make him a DE and have him put on 30 pounds this offseason. I just really want to see this kid succeed.

Kid is playing good ball. Sure he isnt making any game changing plays but neither did Tuitt last year. This is essentially his first year of consistent game time and only his second year playing his position. Its not the end of the world that a sophmore isnt an All American. Remember Harrison Smith? The big thing is he isnt giving up big plays either.

 

[Golden Glory]

I believe when he has been in recently he has mostly been in pass coverage. I remember Kelly saying something like they like his lance in pass coverage.

The last game he was mostly in coverage. The staff does likes his length there.
Frankly I don't mind if he puts his hand down or drops into coverage as long as he takes his Mr. invisible suite off and starts tapping into that potential he has. There's got to be another player on the squad that would do more with the minutes he getting. It might be a case of Diaco giving him reps in hopes it will click. Which I'm fine with as long as we're winning. If he does get it it's obvious to see he will be a force.
But until then... it's really tough to watch.

 

[woolybug25]

Kid is playing good ball. Sure he isnt making any game changing plays but neither did Tuitt last year. This is essentially his first year of consistent game time and only his second year playing his position. Its not the end of the world that a sophmore isnt an All American. Remember Harrison Smith? The big thing is he isnt giving up big plays either.

Or even KLM. It took him to his 5th year to become a major difference maker.

 

[Golden Glory]

Kid is playing good ball. Sure he isnt making any game changing plays but neither did Tuitt last year. This is essentially his first year of consistent game time and only his second year playing his position. Its not the end of the world that a sophmore isnt an All American. Remember Harrison Smith? The big thing is he isnt giving up big plays either.

I appreciate your optimism TP but it would be a stretch for me to say he's playing good ball. It seems like he's just out there.
He's got time to develop and I hope he does.
Harrison Smith turned it on at the end of his career but was pretty rough his first 3 years.
If Ishaq pulls a Harrison and finishes strong he will have my applause.
With the linebacker class we have coming in he's going to feel some heat from them. If Alquadin is on board i look for him to push Ishaq pretty hard for his P.T.

 

[HoosierIrish]

I know he's young, I wouldn't have brought it up if it wasn't for the jaylon smith comments lately about him being cat. Shembo is most likely the starter next year. I can't see jaylon being 2nd string as a soph. I'd just rather Ishaq bulked up and played DE than be 2nd string his whole career.

If jaylon just plays DOG like everyone wants him too then i have no problem here.

 

[IrishLion]

Kid is playing good ball. Sure he isnt making any game changing plays but neither did Tuitt last year. This is essentially his first year of consistent game time and only his second year playing his position. Its not the end of the world that a sophmore isnt an All American. Remember Harrison Smith? The big thing is he isnt giving up big plays either.

Not to nitpick or come off like an *******, but I recall Tuitt's sack in the Pitt game last year was a game-clincher more or less.

I may be misplacing when it occured too though, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Kid is playing good ball. Sure he isnt making any game changing plays but neither did Tuitt last year. This is essentially his first year of consistent game time and only his second year playing his position. Its not the end of the world that a sophmore isnt an All American. Remember Harrison Smith? The big thing is he isnt giving up big plays either.

I'm in agreement with you. Also, he is playing the most difficult position to learn of the 4 lb spots. It took Flemming two years just to get a handle on that position.

 

[Golden Glory]

I know he's young, I wouldn't have brought it up if it wasn't for the jaylon smith comments lately about him being cat. Shembo is most likely the starter next year. I can't see jaylon being 2nd string as a soph. I'd just rather Ishaq bulked up and played DE than be 2nd string his whole career.

If jaylon just plays DOG like everyone wants him too then i have no problem here.

I can see Ishaq ending up at DE and pulling a KLM. With him moving on it would be an opportunity for Ishaq there. He and Sheldon could battle it out.

 

[yankeeND]

I've seen the light flickering since the spring but I tell you Saturday would definitely be ideal for the switch to be in the "ON" position! Got a lot of horses and if you add this thoroughbred to the mix watch out!

 

[stlnd01]

I believe when he has been in recently he has mostly been in pass coverage. I remember Kelly saying something like they like his lance in pass coverage.

Would be pretty bad *** if he started swatting passes out of the air with a lance.

 

[McGlovin]

I understand that he's only a Sophomore, and 19 years old, but the way the recruiting services had this guy you'd think he would be every bit the player that Tuitt currently is, if not better based on his ridiculous athleticism. Surely BK and Diaco are seeing that he's not making any real impact?

 

[Jason Pham]

I understand that he's only a Sophomore, and 19 years old, but the way the recruiting services had this guy you'd think he would be every bit the player that Tuitt currently is, if not better based on his ridiculous athleticism. Surely BK and Diaco are seeing that he's not making any real impact?

I think this speaks more to (1) how approximate those recruiting services can be in their evaluations and (2) how good Tuitt is than to the ability of Ishaq to contribute now and in the next few years.

 

[Junkhead]

Harrison Smith turned it on at the end of his career but was pretty rough his first 3 years.

Strangely, for me, I noticed Harrison constantly early on. More than a few times, it was not for good reasons. Ishaq on the other hand, seems invisible. Maybe I have to watch the replay, but I never see him doing anything. I rarely even notice that he is in the game.

 

[Jebediah Springfield]

Strangely, for me, I noticed Harrison constantly early on. More than a few times, it was not for good reasons. Ishaq on the other hand, seems invisible. Maybe I have to watch the replay, but I never see him doing anything. I rarely even notice that he is in the game.

This shows just how strong this dude is.

At the 1:05 mark look how he treats the center

#5 Notre Dame Vs BYU Third Quarter Condensed - YouTube

 

[PraetorianND]

This shows just how strong this dude is.

At the 1:05 mark look how he treats the center

#5 Notre Dame Vs BYU Third Quarter Condensed - YouTube

Nice! Any other clips you can point out?

 

[Domina Nostra]

Whenever I see him, it looks like he is moving in slow motion, but still covering a ton of ground. You can almost see him thinking about what he's doing. It seems to me that when he learns how to play full speed, he really is going to be really impressive.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Since the thread is already bumped, what's the deal with Ishaq? He was my favorite player in this class, infront of tuitt. I know he's only a sophomore, but I had really high hopes for him. Now with jaylon saying he wants to play cat, i'm worried Ishaq may not get the chance to be the All-American I thought he'd be.

Any chance he just isn't getting the role of outside linebacker? Could the staff make him a DE and have him put on 30 pounds this offseason. I just really want to see this kid succeed.

1) Jaylon can say whatever he wants, but is there any possibility the staff actually auditions him at CAT? The kid seems destined for DOG, imo.

2) With the LB class that's coming in next year, there is potential for some major position shifts to get the best players on the field. Pretty safe to assume that CAT and DOG will be locked up w/ Shembo and Spond respectively. With that said, Ishaq is #2 on the depth chart at CAT. I don't think the staff will move him to the DL based on that alone. There needs to be some depth behind Prince. If any of the LB in the in-coming class surprise and the staff feels like they're a better fit, I can definitely see Ishaq moving to DL down the road though (just not next season). Personally, I feel the DL depth needs to be beefed up anyways. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

I'm always rooting for Ishaq though. He was one of my favorites in that class when ND recruited him.

 

[ND NYC]

This shows just how strong this dude is.

At the 1:05 mark look how he treats the center

#5 Notre Dame Vs BYU Third Quarter Condensed - YouTube

i didnt see anythng at 1:05 mark of that vid

ishaq to me seems to be tippy toeing around, and trailing plays pretty much all year almost like hes going thru a walk thur i just dont understand it like you guys says hes only a soph and im hoping its just that he doesnt quite grasp his responsibilities and that he will eventually get to the point in this type of D where he can let it fly without thinking too much
cmon Brooklyn! represent!

 

[dublinirish]

he just doesn't have that nasty streak to me that the likes of Tuitt or Shembo have

 

[TheTurningPoint]

On the play where Kap got his sack vs BYU....Ishaq took on a double team and got great penetration up the middle to allow for the sack. If he wasnt making a difference he wouldnt see the field. And yeah we need him to make more plays, but essentially this is about his 8th games of playing that his CAT role. Like I said earlier Fleming didnt even have it down by the time he left and he had played extensively for 4 years and that position for 2.

Jaylon is not going to play CAT. He has a problem of getting off blocks now and obviously he needs to add a good amount of weight. Spond/Councell/Jaylon will be a nice combo at DOG. CAT is Shembo, Ishaq, Romeo, Randolph, Mattingly

 

[Sherm Sticky]

i didnt see anythng at 1:05 mark of that vid

ishaq to me seems to be tippy toeing around, and trailing plays pretty much all year almost like hes going thru a walk thur i just dont understand it like you guys says hes only a soph and im hoping its just that he doesnt quite grasp his responsibilities and that he will eventually get to the point in this type of D where he can let it fly without thinking too much
cmon Brooklyn! represent!

Look again. Ishaq just completely bull rushed and blew up the center on that play, pushing him right into the QB.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

On the play where Kap got his sack vs BYU....Ishaq took on a double team and got great penetration up the middle to allow for the sack. If he wasnt making a difference he wouldnt see the field. And yeah we need him to make more plays, but essentially this is about his 8th games of playing that his CAT role. Like I said earlier Fleming didnt even have it down by the time he left and he had played extensively for 4 years and that position for 2.

Jaylon is not going to play CAT. He has a problem of getting off blocks now and obviously he needs to add a good amount of weight. Spond/Councell/Jaylon will be a nice combo at DOG. CAT is Shembo, Ishaq, Romeo, Randolph, Mattingly

I completely agree with you about the CAT position. Might be the hardest position to learn on the defense.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

On the play where Kap got his sack vs BYU....Ishaq took on a double team and got great penetration up the middle to allow for the sack. If he wasnt making a difference he wouldnt see the field. And yeah we need him to make more plays, but essentially this is about his 8th games of playing that his CAT role. Like I said earlier Fleming didnt even have it down by the time he left and he had played extensively for 4 years and that position for 2.

Jaylon is not going to play CAT. He has a problem of getting off blocks now and obviously he needs to add a good amount of weight. Spond/Councell/Jaylon will be a nice combo at DOG. CAT is Shembo, Ishaq, Romeo, Randolph, Mattingly

Thanks for clearing this up. However, is it still up in the air about Romeo eventually growing in a true DE? Or will they regulate his weight pretty strictly to make sure he stays at CAT? As far as Randolph goes, is his projection at CAT based on Anzalone playing middle? If/when Alex goes to UF, will that change Randolph's projected position? For whatever reason, I thought Doug was recruited for the WILL...

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Didn't Wooly or someone recently suggest that our DL recruiting is falling a tad behind? I can't recall the post/thread, but I feel as if they suggested we need a true DE this cycle and the next cycle get a DT and one or two DEs. Is this accurate? If so, I don't see why Ishaq doesn't bulk up and move to DL if he's not getting it done at CAT. As stated before, it's possibly the hardest position to learn on defense. Why waste eligibility and time on a player trying to learn a position he may never grasp, when instead he could be playing perhaps a more natural position? He certainly makes an impact when he has his hand down on the line.

I don't like playing the "what if" game, but I can't handle the ND/OU threads at the moment. haha

 

[Emcee77]

Thanks for clearing this up. However, is it still up in the air about Romeo eventually growing in a true DE? Or will they regulate his weight pretty strictly to make sure he stays at CAT? As far as Randolph goes, is his projection at CAT based on Anzalone playing middle? If/when Alex goes to UF, will that change Randolph's projected position? For whatever reason, I thought Doug was recruited for the WILL...

Doug was recruited as an OLB, and I'm a bit skeptical of the notion that he can play ILB. He's physical and powerfully built, but how do we know he has the lateral agility? Just don't think we can expect him to move at this point.

This is why I've been saying for weeks that Anzalone leaving is a big deal. If he goes, we have possible depth issues at ILB, depending on Rabasa's ability to move back to that position. Schmidt doesn't give me much comfort ... he is really small. I know, that's what they said about Luke Kuechly, but still it worries me.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Doug was recruited as an OLB, and I'm a bit skeptical of the notion that he can play ILB. He's physical and powerfully built, but how do we know he has the lateral agility? Just don't think we can expect him to move at this point.

This is why I've been saying for weeks that Anzalone leaving is a big deal. If he goes, we have possible depth issues at ILB, depending on Rabasa's ability to move back to that position.

I agree, losing Alex will hurt the ILB tremendously.

Thanks for the insight on Doug. Seems to me there's going to be quite the log jam at CAT. I guess it's not a bad thing though.

 

[polishjuice4]

Didn't Wooly or someone recently suggest that our DL recruiting is falling a tad behind? I can't recall the post/thread, but I feel as if they suggested we need a true DE this cycle and the next cycle get a DT and one or two DEs. Is this accurate? If so, I don't see why Ishaq doesn't bulk up and move to DL if he's not getting it done at CAT. As stated before, it's possibly the hardest position to learn on defense. Why waste eligibility and time on a player trying to learn a position he may never grasp, when instead he could be playing perhaps a more natural position? He certainly makes an impact when he has his hand down on the line.

I don't like playing the "what if" game, but I can't handle the ND/OU threads at the moment. haha

This is my opinion but Ishaq is a freak athlete who will eventually be a dominant force at OLB. Ishaq could be a 43 DE but he is definitely not 34 DE. I think Diaco would be wasting his athletic talent at DE