Daily practice, hectic travel schedules and academics occupy most LSU student-athletes lives on a weekly basis. But for senior defensive tackle Kyle Williams, helping the community comes as part of the job.
While he remains busy on Saturday nights on the LSU football team as a three-year starter, Williams spends his Sunday mornings as the Chapel on the Campus’ Sunday morning coordinator.
According to Williams, encouragement from his wife Jill got him involved.
“My wife grew up in that church,” Williams said. “She brought me there. She just got me plugged in with everything, and the rest is history.”
As the Sunday morning coordinator, Williams, along with his wife, is responsible for managing Sunday school teachers, getting supplies for Sunday school, and spending time with middle- and high-school aged teenagers.
Jill said spending time with as many as 70 children each Sunday, Kyle manages to somehow blend in.
“He is really just a big kid,” Jill Williams said. “[Kyle] loves to play around with them as much as they do.”
Helping children at the Chapel appears to have its benefits in serving as a leader on the football team.
For junior safety Jesse Daniels, Williams is willing to offer help.
“It doesn’t have to be at practice,” Daniels said. “It can be family- or school- oriented. He can tell from knowing me for a few years when something is wrong.”
Daniels said Williams is the leader of a defensive squad that was top in the nation two years ago.
Williams joins senior Claude Wroten on the defensive line, coming off a season in which the duo combined for 101 tackles and 12 sacks.
Defensive backs LaRon Landry and Daniels return to lead the secondary, while senior Ronnie Prude and sophomore Chevis Jackson will be expected to replace Corey Webster and Travis Daniels, both lost to this season’s NFL Draft.
On offense, redshirt sophomore JaMarcus Russell will start after starting four games in 2004. Russell passed for 1,053 yards on 73 on 144 passes and nine touchdowns in 2004.
Senior Joseph Addai and junior Justin Vincent will share time.
LSU returns a strong group of wide receivers, including senior Skyler Green.
After suffering an ankle-sprain in fall camp last season, Green’s season was hampered after starting just four times.
Lining up with Green is junior Craig Davis, last season’s team leader in receiving with 659 yards on 43 catches and one touchdown.
Junior Dwayne Bowe, sophomore Early Doucet and Xavier Carter make up the rest of the 2005 receivers.
On special teams, LSU returns place kicker Chris Jackson and Patrick Fisher, who will share time at the punter position.
Sophomore Colt David, who was a perfect five-for-five in extra point attempts in LSU’s 35-31 win against Arizona State, will also play place-kicker.
With a defense lacking experience and a new system under coach Les Miles, having players like Williams around as someone to look up to benefits the team, said sophomore linebacker Ali Highsmith.
“You can relate to a teammate more because he’s going through what you’re going through,” Highsmith said. “If you hear from a teammate, you can realize that if he’s pushing through it, I can too.”
Contact Jeff Sentell at [email protected]