July Player Performance Index top 30 deep dive: No. 24 S Markeith Williams

CaneSport is breaking down the top 30 Miami players on the roster based on projected production, and today we’re at No. 24, Markeith Williams .

THE BIG PICTURE

Yesterday we had another safety on this list, Jaden Harris . And there’s certainly a chance that it’s both Harris and Williams that start this season, with James Williams and Kam Kinchens gone. But there’s also every likelihood that Washington transfer Mishael Powell, who played nickel this spring, moves to safety in the fall. That would mean that Harris and Williams – the only two non-freshmen safeties on the roster – will be battling for one spot. And that’s neck-and-neck, hence their back-to-back rankings on this list. Neither really stood out in the spring, but Williams did start in the bowl game and had eight tackles, and perhaps he has a slight edge off the spring. But he will have to earn it in the fall, and neither of these guys are proven to any real extent. With the secondary losing four starters, Miami needs at least one out of Williams and Harris to step up and be a steady performer.

JULY PLAYER PERFORMANCE INDEX: No. 30 Elijah Alston , No. 29 Josh Horton , No. 28 Raul Aguirre … No. 27 D’yoni Hill … No. 26 Samson Okunlola … No. 25 Jaden Harris

THE ANALYSIS

Williams has one career start, the bowl game last year, so he’s very much unproven as a redshirt sophomore. But this could be his year to emerge with a chance he gets the starting job. He’ll have to beat out Jaden Harris this fall, assuming Mishael Powell moves from nickel to safety. As for Williams’ background? He was a Class of 2022 arrival and saw action in four games off the bench that year and had three tackles, one for a loss. Then this past season he had 15 tackles as a backup with the one bowl game start. Williams had solid grades per Pro Football Focus . He checked in at 69.7 percent overall with a 77.5 run defense grade, 76.7 tackle grade, 59.1 pass rush grade and 62.6 cover grade. That was in 75 total reps.

THE PROJECTION

You could see Williams’ potential with some flashes in last year’s bowl start – he had the aforementioned eight tackles, sharing a tackle for loss and adding a pass breakup. He looked like he knew what he was doing out there and covered a lot of ground quickly. So he could wind up emerging as a starter, and regardless should get a significant amount of reps. If we are projecting his stats for the year? Maybe around 50 tackles with a couple of interceptions seems about right at this point.

THE JUMP HE NEEDS FROM SPRING TO FALL CAMP

Williams needs to show in fall drills that he’s consistent and outspoken in the back end, making sure he’s in the right position to make plays and having the Lance Guidry defense down pat. The safety role under Guidry ranges from traditional duties roaming the secondary to blitzing and some man-to-man coverage. So Williams has to really show he has diversity to his game and can help out in multiple ways. It’s important he display continued growth from the spring, when he didn’t really stand out.

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