Injured and sidelined, UCF's Jayden Williams earned a medical waiver, fueling his relentless pursuit of a dominant final season.
Jayden Williams cried on the phone to his mother, believing his senior season ended against the North Carolina A&T Aggies. However, it didn't, and he's ready to attack his final year with a determined hunger.
Williams broke his thumb in the final possession of UCF's season-opener against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. He toughed the injury out and played in the following game against the Aggies, but his determination backfired on him.
"That's just how I am, just trying to get back on the field because I assumed it was my last year," Williams said after spring practice. "But ended up breaking it a second time in the NC A&T game. Got a second surgery, and they just sat me out, and we were able to get the medical [waiver] and I'm just blessed."
He tallied seven tackles (four solo) in the two games he played, and five came against the Gamecocks.
Williams ' return adds more experience to a defensive back room that has retained most of its players and added talent through the transfer portal. He said the chemistry between the returners helps the defensive back group grow.
"It's always good to keep that chemistry, that team chemistry, the bond with your brothers," Williams said. "So, it was great to come back knowing all the guys are still here. So, it's not really like, oh, trying to build new relationships. We already had that bond."
Braeden Marshall, Jayden Bellamy, Demari Henderson and Antione Jackson are some of the returners for the group. As a part of the returners and gaining a medical redshirt, Williams is hungry and wants to have a bounce-back year after his thumb sidelined him last season.
"I attack everything, just hard, fast, and physical," Williams said. "Coach Grinch, Coach Frost, they all preach for us to not dumb down practice and just attack everything how we always attack it. Just fast, physical, with speed. So, I'm not like it's really the same to me. I attack everything the same. So, it's not really a difference."
Williams receives another chance to showcase his talents this season with a medical waiver, and he is not going to take his last year of eligibility for granted.
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