Wyo’s Jven Williams is on the move — and you better get out of his way

For a 300-pound high school lineman Jven Williams is fast.

How fast?

Well, last week he went from 0 to 60 in a matter of moments.

On Sunday few people outside Wyomissing knew his name; by Saturday the junior two-way tackle had eight major college scholarship offers.

“I had zero idea that that was even coming,” said Williams, who was offered by the University of Pittsburgh on Monday, and, day by day, drew offers from Boston College, Temple, Illinois, Michigan, Virginia, Maryland and Penn State. “I wasn’t really expecting anything. Usually the offers come in the offseason. It came sooner than expected; I was pretty happy about that.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said senior teammate Aiden Mack, a Richmond recruit. “Seven Power Five offers in the span of … three days? It’s incredible.”

Until five weeks ago the 6-4, 300-pound Williams had never started a high school football game. Highlights of his first three games this season went out about two weeks ago. It didn’t take the big boys long to move.

“The Pottsville game (Sept. 3), he was pretty impressive,” said Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum. “He was impressive in all three of those games (on the video). People saw how big he was and that he can run. When you’re that big, you’ve got a shot. Once somebody pulls the pin, it’s gonna start happening.”

And fast.

Williams was overwhelmed after Wolfrum pulled him aside last week and told him that Pitt had offered. In a matter of moments his life changed and doors swung open for him.

“I was emotional because it was my first offer,” he said. “I was thinking FCS schools (formerly Division I-AA) would look at me first. A big FBS school like Pitt looked at me first, it was huge — it was a really big deal.”

Williams is a really big deal. Physically, he’s imposing. It’s the way linemen move that separate them. To play at the highest levels you must be big, strong and fast. And intelligent. And work hard. And want to be good.

Williams checks all the boxes. He showed as much the other night in a 48-7 win at Fleetwood. He pulled out on a running play and sealed the edge, giving running back Drew Eisenhower a lane.

After his initial block he hustled 40 yards downfield following his ballcarrier, then, as Eisenhower cut back around the 10, Williams threw another block, leveling a defender and allowing Eisenhower to gain a few more yards.

“That’s wrong,” joked teammate Julian DiMaio, a senior nose guard. “You shouldn’t be that tall, that big and move that fast. There’s no way. He can move at the weight he’s at, the height he’s at, like no other.”

“That’s pretty impressive,” Wolfrum said of Williams’ extra effort at Fleetwood. “That’s the kind of stuff that impresses college coaches. It would’ve been real easy for him to stop and watch.”

That’s not in Williams’ nature; he’s driven to succeed. His teammates, to a man, will tell you about his work ethic, that he never rests, that he’s never satisfied.

“I want to be All-American, All-County, all-everything,” he said. “I want to have all the awards. I didn’t expect the attention to come this soon. Not saying I didn’t grind or put in the work for it, I just thought it would take a little more time for people to notice it.”

Williams mostly plays tackle on offense, then he regularly moves to guard and is sharp enough to know both positions. He also sees a lot of time on defense, as a tackle.

His explosion on the recruiting circuit has been aided by a pair of former Wyomissing linemen. His offensive line coach Steve O’Neil, a former All-State selection, has become a mentor. So has Ross Tucker, the former NFL offensive lineman who has deep connections in college football through his GoBigRecruiting.com service and his media ties.

Williams is all new to this: Football, recruiting, you name it. But he’s got the tools. That much was evident last spring when he won a District 3 championship in the shot put and set a school record in the discus.

The power and explosion of those disciplines translate to line play in football.

Earlier this month he was invited to attend Penn State’s game against Villanova. He wasn’t prepared for what he was about to see, or experience. Before Saturday he had never stepped foot inside college football stadium; until a week earlier he had never been recruited to play.

Prior to Saturday’s game Williams was on the field with Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein and head coach James Franklin; Franklin extended him a scholarship offer. The best week of Williams’ young life got exponentially better.

“I thought they just wanted to see me in person, to see that you’re not lying (about your height and weight),” he said. “I thought that’s what this was all about. When they offered in person, it meant a lot. It’s personal. I felt like a VIP. It was really something special.”