Tennessee bolstered its special teams on Thursday afternoon with the addition of a midstate punter as a preferred walk-on. Adam Williams, a big 6-foot-6, 220-pound punter from Wilson Central High School in Lebanon, Tenn., announced his decision via Twitter.
🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊#Committed pic.twitter.com/gqDEX8Fgpt
— Adam Williams (@adamrwilliams01) January 26, 2017
“Williams has the frame NFL coaches look for,” says his evaluation on kohlskicking.com, a site that ranks him as the 11th best punt in the nation. “He is every bit of 6’5, maybe 6’6, and can easily fill out to 230-240 pounds. The ball explodes off his foot, as his leg speed is impressive for a big guy. His punting and kicking technique need work before he can be a called ‘college game ready.’ His upside is very special and he is someone who has the ‘wow’ factor when he connects on his ‘A’ ball. He should be very attractive to a college coach who knows how to develop specialists.”
Former walk-on punter Trevor Daniel is entering his senior season for the Vols, and it’s time for Tennessee to begin thinking about his eventual replacement. Freshman walk-on Grayson Linde is the only other punter listed on Tennessee’s roster after scholarship punter Tommy Townsend transferred to Florida before the start of the 2016 season.
Expect Tennessee to find more competition in the coming year, but it looks like Williams should be able to come in and compete for a starting job by his second year on campus. The Vols have had a lot of success with Daniel, and they’ll hope to follow the same path in this situation.