Jordan Williams looks like the latest portal gem for the Hokies. The talented defensive tackle should fill a missing personnel piece on defense, and bolster their interior numbers with Jarrod Hewitt’s somewhat surprising departure. Williams comes to Tech by way of Clemson. The Tigers’ defense under Brent Venables is a multiple-fit 4-2 that’s borrowed schemes and terminology from just about every successful defense out there. There’s a heavy Saban influence to it, right down to wholesale lifting of Saban terminology, so if you think about it that way, it’s got some similarities to how Tech’s current defense is a blend of Bud Foster’s 4-2 and the Saban schemes Justin Hamilton picked up in the NFL.

Williams stands out in games even before the snap because he plays almost out of a frog-squat stance with low hips and his arms angled slightly back. He played between the tackles when Clemson was in a four-man line, and when they went to an odd front like Okie, Tite, or Bear, he played a true zero-tech nose. That makes a heckuvalotta sense, given he’s listed at 6’4, 310. The thing that really gets me liking this pick isn’t his size or strength, or at least those qualities on their own: it’s his lateral quickness in combination with that size and strength. Clemson names this call “Slant” for a good reason:

BC runs Counter GH, while Clemson’s Slant call has the line attacking towards the runner while the nickel flies in off the backside. Williams is just barely shaded inside the center, but because the Eagles are honoring the old Single-Wing offense, it’s more like he’s playing over a guard as far as his position on the field. At the snap, he takes a lateral step away from blocking, and as he sees the guard’s near leg come at him, he knows he’s getting a down-block. That means the ball is going outside of the blocker, so Williams keeps widening. The guard can’t adjust, and Williams gets outside of him and into the hole. The guard recovers enough to belly him, but Williams keeps his outside arm free for the tackle.

Tech’s front has had more of a lateral emphasis this year, and if Williams had been on the team, he might’ve been the most versatile player on the front. That said, the size and strength are there, too:

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