FOOTBALL: Speed Demon T.J. Williams

For the Spartan football squad to succeed in 2007, they will need to find balance in the offense. With a running game stacked with talent, the passing game will have to keep teams honest.

T.J. Williams could be the man that keeps opponents from ignoring the Michigan State aerial game. The 6-foot-3, 184-pound sophomore returns as the most productive Green and White receiver on the team. With the loss of players like Kerry Reed, Matt Trannon, and Jeremy Scott, Williams has the opportunity to step into a leadership role within a rebuilding WR unit.

Strengths

1. Speed, Speed, Speed
   Williams brings as much speed to the field as anyone. With sub-4.4 times in the 40-yard dash—and even a sub-4.0 in the shuttle—pure speed should help establish Williams as a legit threat in the Big Ten.
2. Confidence
   Last season Williams told Scout.com, ""I make plays. I can beat anyone deep at any time." As offensive coordinator Don Treadwell rebuilds the offense, confidence like that should help instill the right attitude in a young WR corps.

Questions

1. Is Williams too green for the Green and White?
   Although the position will require immediate replacements because of all the talent that has graduated, head coach Mark Dantonio says Williams' game needs to continue to develop. "T.J. Williams showed some flashes last year and he’s done some good things this spring, but he simply needs to continue to mature as a football player," Dantonio said.
2. Will there be off-field issues?
   Although he seems to be over his struggles with academics, and his career as a Spartan has been relatively smooth so far, Williams and the Spartans as a whole will have to show that chronic off-field problems are a thing of the past.

Projection

Williams should step into a starting role and could put up surprising numbers. With teams aware of the running threat Michigan State will bring each week, Williams should be able to use his speed to blaze past safeties cheating up to stop the run, giving the Spartans a valuable big play threat.

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