Williams to Get Some Seasoning as a Redshirt This Year

BLACKSBURG, Va., Sept. 16 -- On Monday, Ryan Williams walked into the office of Billy Hite, Virginia Tech's associate head coach and running backs coach, as a heralded freshman fighting for playing time in a crowded backfield. He left Hite's office as a redshirt who will spend the season practicing with the scout team and gain a fifth year of eligibility with the Hokies.

"It was based on me feeling like I wasn't going to get any playing time," Williams said. "If I felt I was going to get playing time . . . then I wouldn't have taken the redshirt. But I didn't really feel like it would have been three, four, five [carries]. I didn't feel like it would be one, two."

The Stonewall Jackson product arrived in Blacksburg as perhaps Virginia Tech's most heralded running back recruit since Kevin Jones. The Hokies' unsettled backfield led some to wonder whether he could play this season, a possibility Coach Frank Beamer raised during the recruiting process.

But stuck amid a glut of running backs, Williams never emerged. In the first three games, Virginia Tech distributed carries to junior Kenny Lewis and redshirt freshman Darren Evans. Plus, quarterback Tyrod Taylor will get a host of carries now that he's entrenched as the starter. Beamer said a decision would be made on whether Williams would redshirt by Saturday's game against North Carolina, and with each game his status became clearer.

Beamer did not even wait for Saturday to reveal the inevitable. There simply were not enough available carries to validate burning a season of eligibility.

"We felt like it was what's best for him," Beamer said. "He's going to be a terrific player, I don't think there's any question about that. But I think getting a little more time is probably going to be the best thing for him."

The problem has nothing to do with Williams's running ability. Both Beamer and Hite emphatically insisted that Williams is talented enough to carry the ball for the Hokies as a freshman. The difficulties arise when Williams doesn't have the ball in his hands.

During passing drills in practice, Williams stands next to Hite. They discuss the call of the quarterback and what protection the running back has on the given play. A running back in the Hokies' offense must account for the opposing strong-side linebacker and strong safety. Those are not instincts a star running back recruit usually brings to college.

"I don't think in the passing game, with protections, he's ready to play," Hite said. "I told him, 'With the ball in your arm, you can run our offense.' . . . He can be playing right now, but it would probably be five or six plays a game."

Although Williams traveled with the team and the coaches continued to speculate publicly about the possibility that he could play, he had been taking most of his reps on the scout team while wearing the opposing running back's jersey number. Williams finally sensed he would be redshirted during the Hokies' win over Furman on Sept. 6. In the fourth quarter, the other running backs received carries. The coaches walked past Williams.

"I was just like, 'Since I won't get called in, I probably won't play,' " Williams said.

Respecting the Tar Heels

With a quarterback controversy and fans' complaints about the offense, the first month of Virginia Tech's schedule has been devoid of normalcy. But the Hokies' 20-17 win over Georgia Tech quieted the quarterback conversations and calmed the critics.

"I can't really explain how important that was to us," linebacker Brett Warren said.

Now, Virginia Tech's goal is to ensure that the good feelings surrounding Saturday's win will not be short-lived. It may be a tough task, however. Even though the Hokies have played No. 15 East Carolina and the upstart Yellow Jackets, Beamer said North Carolina will be the best team the Hokies have seen this season.

"Probably so," defensive lineman Orion Martin said. "They're a balanced team. They can run and throw it. Their offensive line, you look at them, they look good. They don't have any sloppy fat guys. They're tall, they're strong, they're physical. And they have some skill guys who are game-breakers."

Whitaker Not in the Plans

Backup wide receiver Ike Whitaker did not play against Georgia Tech, an absence Beamer attributed to Whitaker's own negligence, including a missed study hall and team meeting, and the emergence of freshman Jarrett Boykin.