Ishaq Williams Hopes To Earn A Spot On An NFL Roster
It’s been more than two years since former Irish defensive end Ishaq Williams last played a collegiate snap, but he’s hoping to overcome that and earn a spot on an NFL roster in 2016.
Williams, who never quite lived up to the five-star status with which he arrived on campus in Jan. 2011, played three seasons before missing the 2014 and 2015 campaigns due to the fallout from the academic investigation that involved five players in Aug. 2014.
After sitting out the entire 2014 slate, Williams returned to school last summer hoping to be cleared for action and to make his case for the NFL. He jumped through all of the hoops to become eligible at Notre Dame before the NCAA ruled last August that he would be ineligible for the season.
At Notre Dame’s pro day on Thursday, Williams spoke about opportunities and turning a new page.
“It's been a great journey,” he said. “I've learned so much about myself. I've developed as a person. It's great to be back out here with an opportunity to taste my dream.”
Last fall, while his former teammates went 10-3 on the field, Williams worked out at Notre Dame while working toward his degree. He is nine credits away from graduation and has been preparing for the push to make an NFL roster in Florida these past few months.
“First I was doing a lot of working out, Combine training and doing everything I can to get ready for today,” he said.
Under former Irish defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, Williams served as an outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense before transitioning to defensive end once Brian VanGorder arrived in 2014. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native hopes that versatility will pay off in earning him an NFL contract.
“I just want to put my best out there and however a team can use me, just go out there and do what the team needs me to do,” he said.
Despite the frustration of a two-year journey, Williams chose not to criticize the NCAA on Thursday, saying only that he is focusing “on what I can change and that's above my paygrade so I just focus on what I can do.”
In January, Williams returned to the field in the College Gridiron Showcase in Bedford, Texas, and admitted that it was a strange feeling to finally be competing again.
“Yeah. It was a great feeling though,” he said. “I got out there and it was a very emotional time and I just couldn't wait to get pads on again.
“It's very important. The last film was from 2013 so it was very important for them to see me on the field with pads on getting after it.”
With the NFL Draft less than four weeks away and Williams unlikely to be drafted, he refuses to entertain the thought that his football career might be nearing its conclusion.
“I don't feel anything is impossible. I have opportunities here I have to make the most of it,” he said.
“It's definitely a challenge, but I have to look at the positives and just try my best and put my best foot out there and see what happens.”