There were just two returning captains coming back from Ohio’s 2024 Mid-American Conference-winning team for this season: veteran quarterback Parker Navarro and senior safety Adonis Williams Jr.
Long before he was a two-time captain and the leader of what has been a stout Ohio defense for the last two years, Williams was a young, high school kid playing football at Cleveland Heights, one of Northeast Ohio’s most storied programs.
His head coach, Mac Stephens, instilled toughness and grit into the Cleveland Heights program that was very solid, as the Tigers went 6-3 in the COVID-shortened season.
“Coach Mac Stephens, he always instilled that toughness, just like our coaches are telling us here,” Williams said. “Just being a dog. Since high school at Heights, every one of our coaches taught us that, whether that's extra work, watching extra film, just being dominant.”
Out of high school, Williams committed to play football at the Naval Academy, where he played a year at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island. There, Williams was able to develop as a student and an athlete, despite just being there for one year.
“I learned a lot there,” Williams said. “It’s very much more structured there. I learned a lot having to be on top of all my work. I had taken some classes that were, at the time, difficult for me. So being on top of all my work, not having as much free time definitely helped as focus. So it instilled in me that focus to come to a school that's more open, more free.”
Since coming to Athens, Williams has been an impact player every year. In his first year with the team in 2022, he was a key contributor on a team that made it all the way to the MAC championship, racking up 31 tackles and four tackles for loss in his first year with the program. That first year was a learning period, and a year to adjust for Williams.
“What I learned about myself is just, I'm gonna play,” Williams said. “No matter who I'm going against, we're gonna compete. I think that was also instilled in me by the captains and the leadership that we had when I first got here.”
He had another great year to follow that up in 2023, going for 39 tackles, three and a half tackles for loss and an interception.
He was the consistent starter on another 10-win Ohio team that came so close to getting to Detroit, Michigan, for the MAC title game.
Coming into last year, an Ohio team that was hit hard by the portal had a clear strength going into the year, and that was the secondary. The defensive backs room was loaded with experienced returns like Williams and his fellow safeties Austin Brawley and Jeremiah Wood.
Week one against Syracuse saw that secondary take a big hit, however, as Wood was injured and was out for the year, and Williams picked up a lower body injury that would sideline him for some time as well.
Despite being away for the first half of the season, Williams remained involved as a captain, keeping his role without being on the field.
“Nobody wants to be out for any amount of time, it was definitely hard,” Williams said. “But knowing that I had my brothers waiting for me to come back, and I have my brothers out there competing, and I couldn't be down. I couldn't have negative energy.”
He returned to his starting role against Kent State and made an impact straight away, tipping a pass that was picked off by former cornerback Roman Parodie, giving Ohio early momentum en route to a 41-0 win.
From there, he was back in his role on the field for a defense that led the MAC in points and yards allowed per game.
“Being able to have an impact on the team I've been playing with for so long and go back out there to ball my brothers, especially the ones that I was very close to last year, being able to come back just to ball out with them and just play hard every down every game,“ Williams said. "It was just a blessing."
Williams and Ohio were able to return to Detroit, and this time they won the MAC title in blowout fashion, beating rival Miami of Ohio 38-3, something Williams said made it even sweeter.
“It felt very good, especially doing it against a rival,” Williams said. “I don't think I would have wanted it any other way … being able to get the win the fashion we did against (the team that it was), it was nothing but amazing.”
Williams is back this year with his fellow safety and captain, DJ Walker, someone with whom he has a very tight relationship.
“On and off the field, that's my bro,” Williams said. “We talk all the time. Me and him, and also with Jalen Thomeson. We just love this game. Every second we get, we're watching film, we're at practice, we're having fun. We're enjoying this. We love this. We want to win so badly. So our relationship is very tight, all three of us.”
Williams is off to his best start yet, going for 28 tackles and a tackle for loss through the first four games of the season, leading the Bobcats to a 2-2 start after one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country.
“One day at a time, one step at a time, one practice at a time,” Williams said. “Just like we did last year, we took one game at a time and the outcome was the outcome … I think it's just that one step at a time process that I'm just going to take this year again to get the outcome that I want.”
