Danny Stutsman immediately noticed two things about Damonic Williams after the former TCU defensive tackle joined Oklahoma this summer: his enormous size and natural leadership qualities.
Williams, who transferred to Oklahoma during the post-spring portal period, quickly ingratiated himself with his new team and made a strong impression on his OU teammates during summer workouts. He is expected to play a pivotal role for the Sooners in their inaugural SEC season, strengthening the interior of the defensive line.
“That dude’s legs are massive, man,” Stutsman said at SEC Media Days earlier this week. “It’s like two of mine are one of his. He’s going to be a great player for us. He came in right away, it kind of takes a little bit, but he’s earned that respect in the group. You kind of look at him, you see a natural leader.”
The 6-foot-1, 319-pound Williams comes to Oklahoma after spending his first two seasons at TCU. While with the Horned Frogs, Williams started all 27 games up front and amassed 60 tackles, with 9.5 for a loss and 4.5 sacks. He earned Freshman All-America honors in 2022, with 27 tackles, 4.5 for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble for a TCU team that played for a Big 12 title and made the College Football Playoff, finishing as national runner-up to Georgia that year.
Williams followed it up with even better numbers as a sophomore, totaling 33 tackles, five of which were behind the line of scrimmage, including three sacks. He earned All-Big 12 honorable mention before hitting the transfer portal this spring and ultimately committing to Oklahoma on May 2.
During his two seasons at TCU, Williams was especially effective against the run and was a reliable tackler, missing just three tackles in 27 games and registering 28 stops (tackles that constitute a failure for the offense).
“He’s going to bring toughness to our defense,” OU safety Billy Bowman Jr. said. “On that defensive line, especially. Stopping the run is what we need to do. We brought him in so he can do that.”
Williams’ 27 starts are more than the rest of Oklahoma football’s defensive tackles have combined in their careers. He is expected to start alongside sixth-year senior Da’Jon Terry on the interior of the Sooners’ defensive line. Terry, with 13 career starts on his resume, is one of only two other defensive tackles with starting experience on the roster following the spring medical retirement of Jacob Lacey; former Texas State transfer Davon Sears has three starts in his career, none at Oklahoma last season.
Williams’ 1,088 career snaps up front are second among defensive tackles on OU’s roster this season, behind only Terry’s 1,106 across five seasons at Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Kansas.
Since arriving in Norman this summer, Williams has made a noticeable impact on his new teammates during player-run practices, even before putting on pads. That will change in the coming weeks when OU opens fall camp in preparation for the 2024 season.
“From the second Dam came, he’s a beast,” Stutsman said. “We had our conditioning training when he first stepped on there, and we didn’t know where he was going to be…. He came in and dominated right away. There’s going to be no fall-off. It’s going to take no time to get acclimated. He’s going to be ready to go. He’s done a phenomenal job of learning the system, getting with Coach (Todd) Bates as much as possible. I think he’s going to be extremely prepared for what we do, and for the SEC, he’s the type of guy we need.”
Williams is expected to be a significant on-field presence at the point of attack for an Oklahoma defense aiming to ascend in Year 3 under Brent Venables. He will also serve as a veteran presence off the field and in the meeting room for a relatively inexperienced defensive tackle group.
Outside of Terry’s extensive experience, the remaining scholarship defensive tackles on the Sooners’ roster have limited in-game experience at this level: David Stone and Jayden Jackson are true freshmen expected to feature prominently in the rotation; Gracen Halton has played 165 snaps over 20 games in the last two years; Sears has played 365 snaps in three seasons, with just 11 last year for the Sooners; Ashton Sanders played just 19 snaps, and Markus Strong played two total snaps as true freshmen last season.
“The system takes a second, but now he’s starting to get it,” Stutsman said. “Throughout the summer, he’s taking every single day, he’s helping lead the group, lead the younger guys. It’s a great addition for the younger guys.”
