As the spring football season continues to roll on for Iowa State, players look ahead to making a statement in a brand new season in late August.
On the other hand, defensive back Jontez Williams looks upon his past experiences playing wide receiver that help him become a better defensive back for the Cyclones.
“I think [the transition] helped me in a lot of ways,” Williams said. “Knowing how receivers run their routes and knowing the stem that we can get out of different routes is what helped me. Coming from receiver to [defensive back] wasn’t a hard transition since I had to play some [defensive back] in high school, that helped me know a little bit.”
Prior to his commitment to Iowa State, Williams attended Bradford High School in Starke, Florida, where he played multiple positions on the field including wide receiver and defensive back.
In his four years at Bradford, Williams collected over 1,000 yards receiving while having six interceptions and 60 tackles. Most of Williams’ statistics came from his senior season, where he caught 34 passes for 653 yards and three touchdowns, while also having three interceptions as a defensive back.
Williams was a Class 1A second-team all-state selection in 2021 for his outstanding senior season. This breakout season also helped him land an offer from the Cyclones.
After redshirting his first season at Iowa State in 2022, Williams finished 2023 playing in 13 games, starting in two of them, while collecting six total tackles, two solo tackles and three passes defended.
Cyclones cornerback coach Hank Poteat enters his second season with Iowa State with high hopes for Williams due to his increased efforts in practice.
“[Williams’] attention to detail, doing more than what’s required and doing those little things off the field has carried on the field,” Poteat said.
Poteat also brought up the familiarity with playing an offensive skill position that makes Williams different than other defensive backs, as his knowledge of the wide receiver position helps him anticipate different routes run by opposing receivers.
“As far as his offensive skillset, I wouldn’t know, but I know that [Williams] has a good feel for the game,” Poteat said. “Both defensively and offensively that always helps a guy who plays on the defensive side of the ball. For him to be a redshirt freshman, he has a really good feel for the game and playing on both sides really helps.”
Another thing that has helped Williams’ progression through his first season on the field at Iowa State came from former Cyclone defensive back T.J. Tampa, who also played the same two positions in high school as Williams.
While Tampa is now waiting to hear his name called at the NFL Draft, he did not leave without making a lasting impact on a Cyclone defensive back room that helps players like Williams continue to improve their games.
“[Tampa] left a lot of experience and showed us a lot of things where we could act like a pro,” Williams said. “He was a great mentor to all of us, so just picking up at that and keeping the room together is probably the biggest thing.”
With the 2024 fall season quickly approaching, Williams looks to take this time during the spring season to improve his skillset that can take his game to the next level.
“Keep getting better each and every day,” Williams said. “Every day I go out there and find out what I didn’t do good last practice and work at it this practice and get better at it so I learn from my mistakes and get better from it.”
