By BRENT WORONOFF, Staff Writer Daytona Beach News-JournalDAYTONA BEACH -- When Bethune-Cookman coach Alvin Wyatt watches Bobbie Williams effortlessly glide from sideline to sideline, he doesn't reminisce about the free safety's two predecessors who are now starters in the NFL.
He is reminded of a Hall of Fame defensive back.
"All of the NFL scouts who come through here -- and there have been a lot of them -- say Bobbie is an NFL-caliber player," Wyatt said. "They're surprised as to how big he is (6 feet, 212 pounds). He is definitely a safety at the next level. He reminds me of Ronnie Lott -- a big hitter you can play at either free safety or strong safety."
Wyatt and Terry Williams, who share coaching duties for B-CU's defensive backs, both played in the NFL, but by this time next year they expect to be outnumbered by their former students in the NFL.
Rashean Mathis, who played for the Wildcats from 1999-2002, is an All-Pro cornerback with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Nick Collins (2002-2004) is the starting free safety with the Green Bay Packers.
Bobbie Williams, who has been a starter since 2005, is a notch below Mathis and Collins in pure speed -- 4.4 in the 40 compared to 4.3 for Mathis and Collins, Wyatt says -- but he is just as quick. This year his head coach expects the numbers to prove it.
Williams intercepted six passes in each of his first two seasons as a starter. But the end of his sophomore season was marred by an ankle injury, and after the fourth game last year, teams never threw his way.
"Teams know me, so they're really not going to try me deep," Williams said. "The beginning of the year my interception rate is always high and ends up low, so when my interception rate goes low I start picking it up in tackles. I'm a team player, and I'm not really concerned about interceptions."
Williams, who had three interceptions against Norfolk State and two against South Carolina State last season, did not have a pick or even a pass breakup in as the Wildcats went 2-5 in their the final seven games.
He did, however, wind up leading the team in tackles with 75. But that was because he was too involved with the running game, Wyatt said. This year, B-CU coaches want to see the front seven do a better job containing the run.
"We want Bobbie's focus to be in the secondary where he can be a robber for us and bat down passes," Wyatt said. "He's a kid who can go all over the field. We want him to sit back in that free safety position just like Rashean Mathis when he was a senior."
Mathis broke the school record for interceptions in a season in 2002 with 14. The old record was 13, set by Wyatt in 1969. The coach wouldn't be surprised if Williams threatened Mathis' mark this year. But Williams, who had set individual goals for himself in the past, no longer gets involved in a numbers game.
"My one individual goal is to win the (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)," Williams said. "I'm not worried about Bobbie this year. Yeah, I put my foot in my mouth (last year). I said I was going to get a number of interceptions, and they didn't come. I started off really good. I led the nation for the first seven weeks, and then they stopped throwing (between the numbers)."
Williams is more concerned about being a leader this year. He doesn't want to get caught up in his own future at the expense of his team.
"This is my last go-round," he said. "I'm just trying to get my boys together right now. I'm not worried about my individual success. All of my success comes through my team. So if we have a great successful year, winning a lot of games, I should have a lot of success.
"If you're good enough," Williams said, "(Scouts will) notice that and you'll play on the next level, but you've got to take care of home first, and this is home."
The last time the Wildcats won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship, Mathis was a senior. If they are to contend this year, said Wyatt, Williams will have to be Mathis-like on the field.
"If Bobbie can catch every ball that hits his hands, he'll lead the league," Wyatt said. "And that's the same thing I told Rashean."
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