Nebraska Football: Deontai Williams’ return brings boom back to safety

The Nebraska football defense returns another key piece.

Nebraska football received more good news on Wednesday, as safety Deontai Williams announced he would be returning to the program.

Williams recorded 37 tackles and a forced fumble last season for Nebraska. After suffering an injury at the beginning of the 2019 season, I was curious as to how he would bounce back. He bounced back in a big way. His best game of the season came against Purdue. In that contest, he recorded 12 tackles.

Williams managed to put together a string of successful games last season. Following the Purdue game, he recorded 10 tackles against Minnesota. It was really exciting to watch him play this year, as he played with a level of physicality that Nebraska football defense desperately needed.

There was never a question as to whether he was giving enough effort on a particular play. He always seemed to be around the football, and he always seemed to play at a high level. He was a bright spot last year in what was a roller coaster of the season.

This adds another veteran back into the Nebraska football defensive room. The defensive unit improved quite a bit last season, and a large part of it was due to the veteran players being able to step up and make plays. Williams certainly showed he was capable of doing that. It was great to see him bounce back after the injury, and play like we all knew he could.

With him coming back, the Nebraska football defense has a nice balance to it. The Huskers now have a veteran group that they can turn to, and that will be beneficial for them moving forward. When you look at some of the new pieces they have on offense , a veteran defense will be able to complement that nicely. Williams brings that tough physical defensive energy that is needed to play on that side of the football.

I’ll be interested to see what other moves go on within the Nebraska football program. There has been a lot of movement just this week alone, and that has made for a very interesting couple of days. I certainly see the direction in which this program is headed, and I am in favor of it. They seem to want to get better, and they seem to want to add pieces that will help Scott Frost and the coaching staff make a major leap in their fourth year.