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From FSCJ to the NFL: Darious Williams' Incredible Origin Story | The O-Zone Podcast · The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network

0:05
Speaker 1: Soon.
0:08
Speaker 2: Welcome to the Ozone Podcast with Jaguars senior writer John Osher.
0:14
Speaker 3: All Right, welcome into this week's Ozone podcast, and I'm
0:18
Speaker 3: excited to be joined by one of the few local
0:21
Speaker 3: guys I've recovered. We were just talking high school sports
0:23
Speaker 3: before we went on. Uh, Darius Williams, who played high
0:26
Speaker 3: school with Creekside, now cornerback for the Jaguars. I appreciate
0:30
Speaker 3: you doing that. That's my first question. You know, it's
0:33
Speaker 3: got to be in a way a dream to play
0:36
Speaker 3: for your hometown team. What has that been like?
0:39
Speaker 1: Obviously came to the games when I was younger.
0:42
Speaker 4: I was able to serve some some money, You get
0:44
Speaker 4: some tickets, you got all my friends. But you know,
0:47
Speaker 4: it's it's definitely another thing just just playing at home.
0:50
Speaker 4: You know when now my family can just drive down
0:53
Speaker 4: the road come see me play rather than take a
0:55
Speaker 4: flight or drive or whatever the case may be. So uh,
0:58
Speaker 4: I mean, it's it's always fun and being back home
1:01
Speaker 4: and just knowing the city that you grew up in.
1:03
Speaker 3: Big Jaguars fan growing up followed him a little bit,
1:07
Speaker 3: or how would you describe that?
1:09
Speaker 4: Noah, I wouldn't. I wouldn't say I was a big
1:10
Speaker 4: Jaguars fan. I would come, Like I said, if I could,
1:13
Speaker 4: you know, dig up some money to come on. But
1:15
Speaker 4: uh no, of course I was. I was like a
1:18
Speaker 4: La Dani and Thomason fan. Okay, man Adrian Peterson.
1:21
Speaker 3: So I was followed players more than teams.
1:24
Speaker 1: Correct.
1:25
Speaker 3: Now, how did you go from following those guys to
1:28
Speaker 3: play in corner or or are you running back in
1:31
Speaker 3: high school?
1:31
Speaker 1: Yeah?
1:32
Speaker 3: I did.
1:32
Speaker 1: I played a little running back high school.
1:33
Speaker 4: I played both corner and running back in high school,
1:35
Speaker 4: but I mean running back. You know, I figured I'm
1:40
Speaker 4: more of a defensive guy. I'd rather be I'd rather
1:42
Speaker 4: hit somebody than be hit. So that was my transition.
1:46
Speaker 4: And obviously my high school coach showed me, you know,
1:49
Speaker 4: you you got a real good shot, you know, going
1:50
Speaker 4: to college football playing defense.
1:52
Speaker 3: Okay, now we'll get to that in a little bit,
1:55
Speaker 3: because your story is fascinating. I know you've told them before,
1:58
Speaker 3: but it's such an interesting path. But the l but
2:01
Speaker 3: two interceptions the last couple of weeks, what's been going
2:04
Speaker 3: right for you? Is that circumstance? Are you playing or
2:07
Speaker 3: how would you describe?
2:09
Speaker 4: Uh No, I just think you know, I'm I'm you
2:12
Speaker 4: know I'm in my position not to say that, you know,
2:15
Speaker 4: any other position isn't, but obviously want to do us
2:17
Speaker 4: best for the team at all times. But you know,
2:19
Speaker 4: I'm a lot more comfortable. I feel like I could
2:21
Speaker 4: see a whole lot more stuff at corner, and I
2:24
Speaker 4: feel like we just were being taught, you know, the
2:28
Speaker 4: game plans being broken down to us, and we're just
2:30
Speaker 4: able to go out there and put whatever we see
2:32
Speaker 4: on film onto the field.
2:33
Speaker 3: Got now, both of them terrific plays. Pick six gets
2:39
Speaker 3: maybe a little more publicity. But which was the better
2:44
Speaker 3: play in your opinion? Or maybe it's not a fair.
2:48
Speaker 4: Question, right, You know, I wouldn't. I wouldn't really say
2:52
Speaker 4: one was better than the other. I just think, you know,
2:55
Speaker 4: whenever I could try to make a play, you know,
2:57
Speaker 4: when when the team needs a play, and I like
3:00
Speaker 4: that was probably more Buffalo.
3:01
Speaker 1: It was kind of a standstill.
3:02
Speaker 4: I wouldn't even have the greatest game then, but it
3:05
Speaker 4: was kind of just kind of like a standstill and
3:09
Speaker 4: was able to make a play, not even thinking that
3:10
Speaker 4: the offense would just go down the field.
3:12
Speaker 1: But you know, it ended up ping. It's giving us
3:13
Speaker 1: a lot of momentum.
3:14
Speaker 3: Now, stand still there was some wrestling for the ball
3:17
Speaker 3: with that play right right? How did that go? Can
3:21
Speaker 3: you take me through those couple of seconds.
3:23
Speaker 4: Yeah, So I just at one point, you know, I
3:26
Speaker 4: just was running. Obviously we're in a deep post the
3:29
Speaker 4: other side of the field. I just saw the ball,
3:31
Speaker 4: so I just really turned to the receiver. So Stefan
3:34
Speaker 4: went up for it. I didn't even think he was
3:37
Speaker 4: right there. I just thought I was gonna be the
3:38
Speaker 4: main one thought.
3:39
Speaker 3: I jumped before him a little bit of a tie, right,
3:42
Speaker 3: and I felt.
3:42
Speaker 1: His hands on it.
3:43
Speaker 4: Like it just was like, oh shoot, like we all
3:46
Speaker 4: know how offense, like, we all know the game is right,
3:48
Speaker 4: so if we both come down with this thing. That
3:50
Speaker 4: was the only thing I was thinking, like literally right
3:51
Speaker 4: there in that second, I was like, if we both
3:52
Speaker 4: come down with this.
3:53
Speaker 1: It's going to him so soon I gotta win.
3:55
Speaker 4: Like as soon as it hit the ground, I just
3:57
Speaker 4: tried to rip like as hard as I could.
3:59
Speaker 3: Okay, that's just one of those moments that you know,
4:03
Speaker 3: when are you talking to NFL player, Sometimes you just
4:06
Speaker 3: got to make a play, and that was one of
4:07
Speaker 3: those moments. Right now, A pick six. Take me through
4:14
Speaker 3: the moment when you know it's six, meaning you play
4:20
Speaker 3: a long time, there's only so many pick sixes that
4:22
Speaker 3: you get. What kind of moment is that?
4:26
Speaker 1: I mean, it's a great moment. Yeah.
4:27
Speaker 4: I mean obviously as soon as I picked it, you know,
4:29
Speaker 4: I tried to hit straight our sideling because I knew
4:31
Speaker 4: nobody's gonna be there. But obviously just just having a
4:34
Speaker 4: pick six is just big, just big energy for the team. Sure,
4:37
Speaker 4: you know, and I think too that kind of kind
4:40
Speaker 4: of drops another team off, like their morale goes down
4:43
Speaker 4: a little bit. And that's really the best part of it,
4:45
Speaker 4: is just bringing a minimum and dropping the morale.
4:47
Speaker 3: Now did you enjoy the Andy's room celebration.
4:49
Speaker 1: With Oh yeah, it was real cool.
4:50
Speaker 3: Now it again to me through it for people who
4:53
Speaker 3: don't know after Darius's uh pick six, they didn't and
4:57
Speaker 3: your room celebration, I assume that that was in your
5:01
Speaker 3: wheelhouse growing up toy story right, absolutely? Okay, so when
5:06
Speaker 3: they come to you with that beforehand, take me through that.
5:08
Speaker 3: Did Zay come to you guys with it saying you
5:10
Speaker 3: guys got to do this?
5:11
Speaker 1: No, it was actually Ciscom.
5:12
Speaker 4: So Cisco told us like, look, we got this toy
5:14
Speaker 4: story theme going on, So he was like, like, whoever
5:17
Speaker 4: scores He basically threw out there. He's like, whoever scores
5:20
Speaker 4: got to do the andy, you gotta walk from the
5:21
Speaker 4: room and everybody plays dead.
5:22
Speaker 3: Now did everybody know immediately what he was talking about? Yeah, okay,
5:26
Speaker 3: so all you guys had grown up on it. Toy
5:29
Speaker 3: story is part of you when you're six or seven
5:30
Speaker 3: years old.
5:31
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, oh yeah, everybody knew. So from the spot on,
5:33
Speaker 4: everybody's like, oh, yeah, that's what we're doing.
5:34
Speaker 3: Okay, that's pretty cool. I mean, that's that's I'm too
5:38
Speaker 3: old for it. But my son, you know, of course,
5:40
Speaker 3: he's twenty seven best in you guys age, he also
5:44
Speaker 3: would have gotten it immediately. So that was a very
5:47
Speaker 3: very cool thing. Why is the defense playing so well
5:52
Speaker 3: together this year?
5:53
Speaker 4: I just think, you know, it always comes probably with
5:55
Speaker 4: that second year. You know, that first year, you know, coach.
5:57
Speaker 1: You're just trying to figure out players, vice versa.
6:00
Speaker 3: And two.
6:01
Speaker 1: I just think we.
6:04
Speaker 4: Got a taste of what we actually could be from
6:06
Speaker 4: last year. So I think we're all just trying to
6:09
Speaker 4: ride off that momentum, right off that high and now.
6:11
Speaker 1: We know when we believe, you know, we could be
6:13
Speaker 1: a defense, and.
6:14
Speaker 4: I think it's just all and that's just our team
6:16
Speaker 4: in general, and I think it's all just coming together.
6:18
Speaker 3: So don't want to circle back on that. You said
6:22
Speaker 3: the interception gets Buffalo and maybe not the greatest game
6:27
Speaker 3: before that for you, How does a corner do that?
6:32
Speaker 3: Meaning have a couple of plays. It's a tough league
6:35
Speaker 3: for your position, and yet you come back and you've
6:37
Speaker 3: got to maintain confidence. It's easy to say that, but
6:40
Speaker 3: how do you do it?
6:41
Speaker 1: Right? I mean, that's that's how you got to be built.
6:43
Speaker 4: So you can't you can't think it's either a feast
6:46
Speaker 4: or famine, like you either a dog or you're not,
6:48
Speaker 4: so like regardless of you know, obviously you know.
6:54
Speaker 1: The game is good.
6:55
Speaker 3: Coaches are good.
6:56
Speaker 4: They know how to scheme up stuff, they know how
6:57
Speaker 4: to do stuff. So you just all always one play
7:00
Speaker 4: can change the game, you know, and you always just
7:02
Speaker 4: got to stay in the game. There's there's not ever
7:04
Speaker 4: a reason why you think like you gotta be down,
7:07
Speaker 4: you can't make a play, and then you got teammates
7:08
Speaker 4: that are gonna pick you up.
7:09
Speaker 1: Like I got some of the best players on our team.
7:12
Speaker 4: We got great edge rushers, we got great secondary guys.
7:17
Speaker 4: We got Tyson Cambell on the other side, so we
7:19
Speaker 4: got guys that can pick up everybody else, right, So
7:22
Speaker 4: there's no reason, like number one is just to let
7:24
Speaker 4: them down by thinking you're just having a bad game.
7:26
Speaker 1: So you always just got to stay in it.
7:27
Speaker 3: So it's one thing to give up a play, but
7:29
Speaker 3: it's worse to have that play cause you to give
7:31
Speaker 3: up other plays.
7:32
Speaker 4: Right, and then just to think like you would let
7:34
Speaker 4: your team, Like I'm never gonna think like I'm always
7:37
Speaker 4: gonna try to fight to the last minute, Like I'm
7:38
Speaker 4: not gonna think to ever let my team down because
7:41
Speaker 4: something's bad happening. And then me too, I'm thinking if
7:44
Speaker 4: these people know, like if they think that they can
7:47
Speaker 4: pick on me and they're just having their way with me,
7:49
Speaker 4: and like it's gotta keep coming. So I got it,
7:51
Speaker 4: Like if I tap in, I can make a play, right,
7:53
Speaker 4: and I can just make the play when it counts.
7:55
Speaker 1: Gotcha.
7:55
Speaker 3: Now you already know your story, but I'm gonna kind
7:59
Speaker 3: of go over it and hit the high points Creek
8:02
Speaker 3: side start. Then you went to Marietta College Division III,
8:09
Speaker 3: went and tried out at UAB Craig had to ask
8:13
Speaker 3: for the tryout and had a hard time getting.
8:15
Speaker 2: It right right, didn't get it, didn't get it, didn't
8:18
Speaker 2: get it, So how did you eventually get it?
8:19
Speaker 3: Just kind of kept at it.
8:20
Speaker 4: Whoever the coach was in twenty fourteen unfortunately got fired Bill,
8:26
Speaker 4: but fortunately for you for me, Bill Clark came in
8:30
Speaker 4: that spring and he was a brand new coach and everything,
8:33
Speaker 4: and then he was on that made it.
8:36
Speaker 3: Then they dropped the program. At this point, you're saying,
8:39
Speaker 3: what the heck's going on? But you came back to
8:42
Speaker 3: f SCJ for a short time and then went back
8:45
Speaker 3: when UAB started again then undrafted. How do you stay through?
8:52
Speaker 3: I mean, how do you keep going? And I know
8:54
Speaker 3: you've asked that. I've talked about that before, but that's
8:57
Speaker 3: a tough road.
8:59
Speaker 4: I Mean, the real and truest answer I can give
9:02
Speaker 4: is is I'm a big believer in faith. I'm a
9:06
Speaker 4: big man of God. So one thing is just biggest,
9:11
Speaker 4: It's big to trust. And that's all I did, really
9:13
Speaker 4: was I just trusted in God, trust in the situation.
9:16
Speaker 4: And I never let you know any any adversity or
9:20
Speaker 4: anything that I was going through effect like what I
9:23
Speaker 4: think that He has for me and what I know
9:25
Speaker 4: that He has for me. And that's really the truest
9:28
Speaker 4: answer I can give, sure, because that's that's what I do.
9:31
Speaker 1: Like I'm read my Bible. I'm always faithful.
9:33
Speaker 4: You know, adversities are goncome, things are gonna hit in
9:35
Speaker 4: your life, and all I do is I just know
9:39
Speaker 4: God is gonna be there, Like He's going to do
9:41
Speaker 4: whatever I need when that time is right on him.
9:45
Speaker 3: Now. At this point, during this your DEA, F, S, CJ,
9:49
Speaker 3: and football must feel like a long way away. Are
9:52
Speaker 3: you still thinking NFL? Or are you just thinking I
9:56
Speaker 3: want to go play, I want to have my education
9:58
Speaker 3: or where's your head at that point?
9:59
Speaker 4: Yes, I was just really thinking like if the opportunity came,
10:04
Speaker 4: which you know I was. I was really thinking like, nah,
10:07
Speaker 4: I don't want to go to another school that was
10:09
Speaker 4: number one, So I'm like three schools Like that's not me.
10:13
Speaker 4: Like I'm more of like a like family orient a
10:15
Speaker 4: guy when I stick with the same type team whatever
10:17
Speaker 4: sing players. Uh So really I was thinking I don't
10:20
Speaker 4: want to go that route. So I was like, if
10:21
Speaker 4: the opportunity ever did present stuff, I don't know how,
10:23
Speaker 4: but I was like, shoot, if it does, it does
10:25
Speaker 4: if it doesn't, then I'm just focused on school.
10:27
Speaker 3: I got you. So you weren't sure that you even
10:29
Speaker 3: wanted to keep it going. You weren't ready to quit,
10:31
Speaker 3: but you weren't sure that correct, But that was where
10:34
Speaker 3: the path was taken yet.
10:35
Speaker 1: Nice.
10:36
Speaker 3: I got you at peace during that time with that.
10:39
Speaker 2: Absolutely okay, yeah, one hundred percent and UAB starts up
10:43
Speaker 2: again and you're like, Okay, I'm gonna give this.
10:45
Speaker 3: One more shot.
10:46
Speaker 1: Yeah.
10:46
Speaker 4: My coach call, he was like, first I was, I
10:48
Speaker 4: was at my job and my co worker like, obviously
10:51
Speaker 4: the programming just got cut maybe like four months before,
10:53
Speaker 4: five months before that.
10:55
Speaker 1: My co worker he was like, yeah, man, they brought
10:58
Speaker 1: back ua B. I was like no. It was like
11:01
Speaker 1: he was like, no, for really they brought it back.
11:03
Speaker 1: I was like what.
11:04
Speaker 4: Literally as soon as I stopped talking to him, my
11:07
Speaker 4: old DC had called me and he was like, yo,
11:09
Speaker 4: you just about the program back.
11:10
Speaker 1: You want to come back?
11:11
Speaker 3: And I was like so he was going back to yeah, yeah, yeah, okay,
11:14
Speaker 3: I got you. I want to walker, So the same
11:18
Speaker 3: coaching was going to be back correct, Okay, So he's
11:20
Speaker 3: waiting for the opportunity, And did you think at that
11:23
Speaker 3: point or I guess I said this way. At what
11:27
Speaker 3: point during this because again you started getting pushed away
11:32
Speaker 3: from it a little bit through no fault to your own,
11:34
Speaker 3: at what point do you start thinking maybe the league
11:36
Speaker 3: is possible.
11:38
Speaker 1: I mean I didn't.
11:39
Speaker 4: I didn't have my eyes really set just on the
11:41
Speaker 4: NFL until I guess you could say twenty fourteen, before
11:47
Speaker 4: the programming I could.
11:48
Speaker 1: I had it. I was walking on and had a.
11:49
Speaker 4: Pretty good little season, and then when we came back,
11:53
Speaker 4: they put me in like the number one jersey because
11:55
Speaker 4: it's like you're like the best player on the team,
11:57
Speaker 4: so or we're gonna give you that recognition. So I'm like, oh,
12:00
Speaker 4: so they think highly of me. So you know, I
12:02
Speaker 4: just was always praying. I was like, man, like I'm
12:04
Speaker 4: gonna have a good year.
12:05
Speaker 1: Whatever that year is.
12:06
Speaker 3: That kind of thing can change your outlook, right.
12:07
Speaker 4: Right, And I was just always saying like, I'm gonna
12:09
Speaker 4: have a good year, like whatever it is. And that
12:11
Speaker 4: year even started off a little rough, and then towards
12:13
Speaker 4: the end of my like that last year I had,
12:15
Speaker 4: it was just it just took off, and I just
12:18
Speaker 4: remember everybody was like, man, you're gonna go to the league,
12:20
Speaker 4: gonna go to the league.
12:20
Speaker 3: You.
12:21
Speaker 4: I was like, nah, Like, if it is like it
12:23
Speaker 4: is and as will, then it is. But if it
12:25
Speaker 4: isn't a will, and then I'm not gonna lie. I
12:28
Speaker 4: remember a scout like he came and talked to me.
12:31
Speaker 4: It was like, you know, you probably you probably won't
12:34
Speaker 4: be anything but a practice squad guy. Like he was
12:35
Speaker 4: trying to be honest, which I respected, but at the
12:37
Speaker 4: same time, he didn't really know me. So I was like,
12:40
Speaker 4: you don't even know how hard I work. You don't
12:41
Speaker 4: know what I put in and out.
12:43
Speaker 1: On the field.
12:44
Speaker 4: But he had told me it was like, yeah, you
12:45
Speaker 4: you probably only gonna last, you know, a year on
12:47
Speaker 4: practice squad in the league. And that really fired me
12:50
Speaker 4: up because I'm like, in this world, like you.
12:52
Speaker 1: Know, people are like.
12:54
Speaker 4: Like they try to, I guess, label you before you
12:57
Speaker 4: even before you even know you. So that really fired
13:00
Speaker 4: me up. So once I got my opportunity for the Ravens,
13:02
Speaker 4: I just took off with it.
13:03
Speaker 3: Got you now, I assume the answer is very much so,
13:09
Speaker 3: But how much does all that help you and shape
13:13
Speaker 3: you as a person, player, et cetera.
13:16
Speaker 4: I mean that's what you say, because like I said,
13:18
Speaker 4: like I'm a big believer, So I always say, like,
13:20
Speaker 4: you know, God's gonna label me and and now all
13:23
Speaker 4: I do is work just for his glory, right and
13:27
Speaker 4: then just for the glory of the team. So uh,
13:29
Speaker 4: like you said, like, I'm always gonna put at work.
13:31
Speaker 4: I'm always gonna try to do extra, even if it's
13:32
Speaker 4: not to where people are seeing it. Like I don't
13:35
Speaker 4: have to do stuff in public or do stuff to
13:37
Speaker 4: have it be seen and let don't know that I'm working.
13:38
Speaker 4: But I mean that's that's always my goal is to
13:41
Speaker 4: be the best at whatever I do.
13:42
Speaker 3: Got you being a part of this meaning the jag
13:45
Speaker 3: Wars sort of rising a little bit or a lot
13:48
Speaker 3: since for you guys got here being from here understanding
13:53
Speaker 3: this team. What does it mean for you to be
13:55
Speaker 3: a part of it right now?
13:56
Speaker 1: I mean it's it's special.
13:57
Speaker 4: It's always special, you know, to be a part of
13:59
Speaker 4: something that's that's bigger than even bigger than yourself. So,
14:03
Speaker 4: I mean, we got guys that are gonna be out
14:06
Speaker 4: here on this team for a long time, like like
14:09
Speaker 4: sixteen sure, Uh, you know, we got Tyson Campbell. We
14:12
Speaker 4: got guys that's just got legacies lead and you know,
14:15
Speaker 4: it's it's always cool to help start a whole new road,
14:20
Speaker 4: you know, especially with the Jags and like a little
14:22
Speaker 4: history they had. But then again, you gotta think we're
14:26
Speaker 4: not like you can't ever be just satisfied on what
14:30
Speaker 4: we've done so far. So we're still chasing a whole
14:33
Speaker 4: lot more. But it's it's fun to be a part of.
14:38
Speaker 3: I think we do. It's it's real quick to call
14:40
Speaker 3: it the zone five five very quick questions. What's your
14:48
Speaker 3: current binge watch? Oh?
14:52
Speaker 4: My current binge watch? I got a lot. I don't
14:57
Speaker 4: know if I got just one. I'm on the I'm
14:59
Speaker 4: on the challenge R now, I had a low key yeah,
15:03
Speaker 4: probably wouldn't know.
15:04
Speaker 3: This got Uh the last song you listened to in
15:07
Speaker 3: the car on the way in this morning.
15:10
Speaker 1: Of the Gospel song?
15:13
Speaker 3: Uh? First Jaguars memory anything you're growing up? Any stand out?
15:18
Speaker 1: Uh? Fred Taylor? For some reason, Fred Taylor.
15:23
Speaker 3: He had some vivid memories. Best opponent you've ever played
15:28
Speaker 3: as in team or player player?
15:31
Speaker 4: Oh, I'm a I'm a big fan of Mark Cooper.
15:35
Speaker 4: I think if he if he just wanted to be
15:37
Speaker 4: as crazy as he could.
15:38
Speaker 1: Be, he would he would dominate.
15:40
Speaker 3: Uh, A person or people most responsible for you.
15:44
Speaker 4: Being here obviously, God, my family, friends, everybody all that support.
15:50
Speaker 3: Yeah, Darius, I can't thank you enough on a on
15:52
Speaker 3: a busy week coming back from Monday not to do this.
15:55
Speaker 3: I enjoyed it, and I think the fans are gonna
15:58
Speaker 3: enjoy listening to your New Zone podcast. Thank you very much, Yes, sir,
16:01
Speaker 3: thank you