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

[DCIrish]

Probably shouldn't have played as a freshman because he wasn't ready. Would have been good for him to have two years left to play instead of just one.

 

[Ignats]

One of those guys who I really wish had taken a RS his freshman year. Things look a lot worse from our perspective when he only has next year as opposed to two years.

 

[ThePiombino]

I agree that he would have benefited from a redshirt, but hindsight is always 20/20 and he was a beast coming out of high school. There was no reason to think he couldn't contribute on the field his frosh year.

 

[EuropeanDomer]

Too early to call that.

I've seen him physically remove linemen into the backfield. He's getting his prepration. When Shembo graudates, Ishaq will be a monster.

I hear this every summer and then...

He came to bring an elite speed/athleticism on the table and we never seen that, not even close. He can not make plays off the edge, he can not bull rush a 270 lineman and he looks lost out of there.. he basically has zero impact except some isolated plays. People still has some hopes because he was the best ND rated prospect in his class but he looks like a two, three star at best.

 

[Rizzophil]

We might need him at DE next year bc of depth

 

[yankeeND]

I hear this every summer and then...

He came to bring an elite speed/athleticism on the table and we never seen that, not even close. He can not make plays off the edge, he can not bull rush a 270 lineman and he looks lost out of there.. he basically has zero impact except some isolated plays. People still has some hopes because he was the best ND rated prospect in his class but he looks like a two, three star at best.

Really a two star? He actually does a pretty good job when he is in the game. Stats are not the tell all for success on defense. True he is not an impact player at the level of Jaylon but, he is doing his job. But two star, c'mon man...

 

[BMT]

I would like others opinions on this, I think Ishaq would have been the ideal player to redshirt. Physically he is just know looking the part, production aside. Just needs more explosion-nastiness. I think a redshirt would have made a big difference for him, like it did for Grace. I wouldn't even mind redshirting him next year but if tuitt leaves will need him.

 

[stlnd01]

I would like others opinions on this, I think Ishaq would have been the ideal player to redshirt. Physically he is just know looking the part, production aside. Just needs more explosion-nastiness. I think a redshirt would have made a big difference for him, like it did for Grace. I wouldn't even mind redshirting him next year but if tuitt leaves will need him.

He and Schwenke both could have really benefited from a redshirt, though I don't see how you redshirt Ishaq next year. But he's hardly been a flop. He's become a pretty darn good pass rusher this season.

 

[Irish Insanity]

Ishaq simply needs to stop thinking. He usually looks a step slow, like he's stuck in thought before he acts. Stop reacting to them and be more proactive. And if you are proactive and make a mistake, learn from it. I'm not directly comparing them, so don't get me wrong. But thats a big difference between Jaylon as a freshman and Ishaq since he's stepped on campus. Jaylon is proactive. He occasionally makes mistakes but will correct them inside of the same game. Its like Ishaq is worried he's gonna make one when in reality him thinking to much is costing him more.

 

[stlnd01]

Saw on Twitter Kelly says he's "doubtful" for next week with a knee injury. Ugh.

 

[arrowryan]

Saw on Twitter Kelly says he's "doubtful" for next week with a knee injury. Ugh.

He'll probably be more effective on the bench

 

[QuarrelsomeIrishAmerican]

Saw on Twitter Kelly says he's "doubtful" for next week with a knee injury. Ugh.

Romeo's time to shine. He looks hulking in his uniform. Ishaq always looks like he just took too many puffs off a funny cigarette.

 

[Buster Bluth]

Ishaq always looks like he just took too many puffs off a funny cigarette.

Diaco told him to play hungry. He's just taking a different approach to get there.

 

[Rizzophil]

He'll probably be more effective on the bench

That isn't right

Plus, we don't have any defensive line depth

 

[yankeeND]

Shaking my head right now. Wait till he is gone to summarize his career. If he has a Jonas Gray type Sr. year, all is well. I agree it hasn't been what we all expected but, it isn't over yet.

 

[IrishLion]

I hear this every summer and then...

He came to bring an elite speed/athleticism on the table and we never seen that, not even close. He can not make plays off the edge, he can not bull rush a 270 lineman and he looks lost out of there.. he basically has zero impact except some isolated plays. People still has some hopes because he was the best ND rated prospect in his class but he looks like a two, three star at best.

I disagree with the first two parts of the bolded. In fact, Ishaq's best pass rushes this season have been collapsing the pocket with a nasty bull rush. I think all three of Shembo's sacks against ASU were aided by Ishaq collapsing the pocket. Against USC, he was in position to make a few plays off of the edge but was held, and the penalties were called to prove it. Whenever he has been on in pass-rush situations, he has been a force for the OL to deal with.

I will agree that he still looks lost at times when he is put in space, but that is to be expected for a kid that made his name in high school by rushing the passer. If anything, we should be debating on if Ishaq should've simply started his ND career as a DE.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Schwenke and Williams have been among the most productive players for minutes played this year. (I will bet.) Okwara is making a move, but Williams has been invaluable as the fourth d-lineman on the four down fronts and appears to me to be a big part of that success.

We will miss him, hopefully not for too long.

 

[Luckylucci]

I hear this every summer and then...

He came to bring an elite speed/athleticism on the table and we never seen that, not even close. He can not make plays off the edge, he can not bull rush a 270 lineman and he looks lost out of there.. he basically has zero impact except some isolated plays. People still has some hopes because he was the best ND rated prospect in his class but he looks like a two, three star at best.

You do realize he's playing behind our second best pass rusher right? He hasn't had a major impact due to playing time. Have you actually watched his reps when does play? He's done well. In fact he's done very well in some circumstances, its just hard to take Shembo off the field. IMO, you need to watch more football if you don't think he can play at this level. Saying he's a 2/3 star is very inaccurate and I would bet the staff doesn't agree.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

You do realize he's playing behind our second best pass rusher right? He hasn't had a major impact due to playing time. Have you actually watched his reps when does play? He's done well. In fact he's done very well in some circumstances, its just hard to take Shembo off the field. IMO, you need to watch more football if you don't think he can play at this level. Saying he's a 2/3 star is very inaccurate and I would bet the staff doesn't agree.

If Ishaq declared for the draft right now he would be a 5th round pick, never even starting a game. Mayock said the other day the Ishaq is quietly having a good season.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[stlnd01]

In fact, Ishaq's best pass rushes this season have been collapsing the pocket with a nasty bull rush. I think all three of Shembo's sacks against ASU were aided by Ishaq collapsing the pocket. Against USC, he was in position to make a few plays off of the edge but was held, and the penalties were called to prove it. Whenever he has been on in pass-rush situations, he has been a force for the OL to deal with.

Yes. He has collapsed many pockets, especially against ASU and USC, going straight up with an O Lineman. He is not great in coverage, but shouldn't be expected to be. He may not be some combo of Tuitt, Jaylon and a dreadlocked unicorn. But he's becoming a good ballplayer.

 

[TheTurningPoint]

I hear this every summer and then...

He came to bring an elite speed/athleticism on the table and we never seen that, not even close. He can not make plays off the edge, he can not bull rush a 270 lineman and he looks lost out of there.. he basically has zero impact except some isolated plays. People still has some hopes because he was the best ND rated prospect in his class but he looks like a two, three star at best.

You're right he cant bullrush a 270lb OL bc against Air Force that is probably one of the worst things someone playing his position can do on most plays. He has played very well this year, and Id even say he has had just as good of a season as Shembo. He has caused pressure all year in the backfield and setup his teammates for big plays. Did I think he would have had a better career to this point? Sure. But Shembo had a hell of a year last year after moving to CAT, and Ishaq wasnt going to move to DE last year with Tuitt/Day/KAP. He is playing just fine, and needs to get healthy for the stretch run.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Any definitive word about his knee?

 

[ThePiombino]

It's just unfortunate he couldn't red-shirt. He would be a real force over the next two seasons.

 

[Rizzophil]

Can anyone share the extent of his injury? Is he done for the year?

 

[IrishLax]

Can anyone share the extent of his injury? Is he done for the year?

It was reported that the goal is for him to be back for BYU. I believe he had an ACL injury but not severe.

 

[ResLife Hero]

Notre Dame lineman Ishaq Williams feels a sense of urgency

The alarm clock that goes off inside the heads of most seniors entering their final year of college football first rang for Ishaq Williams in the first weeks of January. Williams was at his home in Brooklyn preparing to return to campus for his fourth session of spring practice when he realized time was running out.

Ishaq Williams
Williams will be going head-to-head with offensive linemen more often as he moves to defensive end in 2014.

“I’m a senior,” he said. “There’s more urgency I would say. Another year of maturity and growing up, it’s time now.”

Williams made 45 tackles and one sack during his first three seasons playing behind outgoing senior Prince Shembo at the Irish rush end/outside linebacker position. Shembo’s explosiveness at the line kept Williams’ better-suited frame on the second team or in specialty sub packages. With Shembo gone, Williams arrived in South Bend this January to find his position at outside linebacker was no longer his.

Notre Dame moved the 6-foot-6 athlete to defensive end to better fit in the new defensive scheme introduced by coordinator Brian VanGorder, one based on a 4-3 alignment more frequently than the previous 3-4 look. Williams said the change three years into his career didn’t faze him. It added to the new mentality he hoped to take to the field.

His first order of business was adding weight to be more effective in the trenches. He went from the 260-pound range to 271 pounds by the end of February. Head coach Brian Kelly said the added weight hasn’t slowed him down. Kelly has noticed a different version of Williams in the first few months of 2014.

“He's a different guy than he's ever been since I've been here,” Kelly said. “Now, I'm not saying that that's going to translate into 12 sacks and he's going to be an All American, but he's a different guy than at any time since I've been here.”

Kelly pointed to a drill the team runs in its winter workouts called the tire war — essentially a tug-of-war between two player holding on to opposite sides of a tire. He said he’s never seen Williams compete as hard in the past as he did in tire war drills during February.

The former five-star recruit ranked among the top 26 players in the nation as a high school senior, according to 247Sports. He came to Notre Dame as one-third of the program’s renaissance on the defensive line. His counterparts, Stephon Tuitt and Aaron Lynch, earned accolades early in their college careers and are both headed to the NFL this summer. Williams has yet to match their production or the hype he carried at the start of his career.

Coaches explained that Williams needed to learn to practice and play with more intensity. His naturally calm nature held him back at times, or at least created the perception that he wasn’t competitive. That seems to be fading as the reality of Williams’ last chance sinks in.

“He's one athletic, big dude, and we've been waiting and waiting and waiting like you all have been waiting, and I'm pretty excited right now,” Kelly said.

Williams played a more traditional defensive end role while earning his hype at Lincoln High School in New York. He said he is getting used to playing with his hand on the ground again, and is looking forward to the more aggressive, attacking nature of the position.

“It’s definitely enjoyable, but we still as a defense have to grow into the system better to see how it really works for us,” he said when asked about playing in the 4-3. “I’m definitely in the beginning stages of the system and trying to learn what I have to do and commit it to a routine. I still know how to practice and go full effort and full speed.”

Last year Notre Dame’s starting defensive ends (Tuitt and junior Sheldon Day) weighed an average of 306 pounds. With Day sliding inside and Romeo Okwara lining up with the first unit through most of spring, the new duo at defensive end averages 265 pounds. Part of that loss of mass speaks to Notre Dame’s desire to get more speed on the field on defense, but a big part if also a sign of what the team lost in its front seven this season.

Williams said he may pad out his frame with a few more pounds, but doesn’t feel that he needs to gain more weight to be successful. VanGorder agreed and added that the Irish have plans to make William a big part of their game plan in 2014.

“He’s done a good job so far,” VanGorder said. “I think there’s a lot of football out there for him, and he’s just got to keep working at it. We’re counting on him being a solid football player for us.”

Hopefully coach's excitement isn't unfounded.

 

[GBdomer]

I feel like every year Kelly has said "Ishaq is just a different player then at any point I've seen him at Notre Dame". It's time for Ishaq to come out and play and not just talk about it. I still remember I've never been so jacked up about a commitment like I was with Ishaq. Hopefully 11 has a big year because we are gonna need him and there aren't anymore excuses IMO.

 

[Riddickulous]

I feel like every year Kelly has said "Ishaq is just a different player then at any point I've seen him at Notre Dame". It's time for Ishaq to come out and play and not just talk about it. I still remember I've never been so jacked up about a commitment like I was with Ishaq. Hopefully 11 has a big year because we are gonna need him and there aren't anymore excuses IMO.

Pretty much.

 

[woolybug25]

I hear a lot about his bigger size and his renewed sense of urgency, but I am most excited to see him play as a DE instead of an OLB. He just always seemed out of place playing in space. He needs to be rushing the passer, not covering TE' on flat routes.

 

[PANDFAN]

I hear a lot about his bigger size and his renewed sense of urgency, but I am most excited to see him play as a DE instead of an OLB. He just always seemed out of place playing in space. He needs to be rushing the passer, not covering TE' on flat routes.

or
20 yards deep going up the seam