Kyren Williams Putting In The Work To Execute His Path
2019 St. Vianney (Mo.) athlete Kyren Williams will make a return to Notre Dame this weekend after tearing up Irish Invasion during the summer.
Irish Sports Daily caught up his father, Larry, and his mother, Taryn, to get to know the four-star prospect.
Williams holds offers from Notre Dame, Arkansas, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Memphis, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Stanford, Western Michigan and Wisconsin, but the St. Louis native isn’t getting caught up in the hype.
“He’s taking it very well,” stated Mr. Williams. “He’s excited but still focused on school work, working out and trying to get better every day.”
To get to this level of recruiting, Williams maintained a focus on the field, but also off the field.
“He’s a very focused and committed kid,” Mrs. Williams said. “He’s been committed to football since second grade. The offers really don’t change his demeanor. He stays focused on the overall plan and path. He continues to work hard, get good grades and be a good all-around kid.”
The game of football came easily to Williams as both parents admit they knew he was special from an extremely young age.
“We actually learned that when he played flag football in kindergarten,” explained Mrs. Williams. “We knew from the first play he was a special kid. We even told some of our friends that he would end up going to college to play football.”
Now a lot of parents will say their child is special, but Williams truly showed a different skill set as a youngster. He was faster than the other kids. However, one thing stood out to his father.
“He’s had field vision ever since he touched the ball,” Mr. Williams said. “When I first saw him play, I thought he had been there before. At such a young age, you don’t expect kids to do the things he did.
“He got better and better as the years progressed. He keeps improving. He studies the game and enjoys the game. Remember at a young age, most kids sit up in the bed and watch cartoons. He said ‘Dad, turn on ESPN.’ He’s always been into sports no matter whether it’s football, basketball or baseball.”
Despite his football talents, Williams is your typical high school junior away from the field.
“He’s a family kid,” said Mrs. Williams. “He makes sure he attends his sister’s sporting events. He has a great group of core friends that he hangs out with and plays video games and basketball. He likes to snowboard and fish.”
With every interview, the nation’s top recruits stress the importance of academics, but only a select few really factor that into their decision. Williams is one of those kids.
“We knew he was gifted in football, but we wanted him always to remain humble. Our focus was always on academics. When he got into fourth grade, we asked him if he knew he was good at football. He was outstanding, and everyone in the area knew it, but we never talked about it at home.
“He answered ‘Yes.’” Our goal was to keep him humble and his grades to where they needed to be. He’s self-driven. We don’t have to monitor his grades or review his homework. He puts in the work because he just has a high standard for himself.”
“The rule was if you don’t make the grade, you don’t play sports,” added Mr. Williams. “He wants to be successful on and off the field.”
With the offers coming in by the week for many 2019 prospects, it’s easy to look solely on the football prestige of many schools. For Williams, the offers from Northwestern, Notre Dame and Stanford stick out as they were emotional offers for his parents.
“First, tears,” Mrs. Williams said of her emotions when she learned of the offers. “It’s a blessed and exciting feeling to know he’s getting a lot of opportunities people never get, including ourselves. Football is his dream, and I’m sure he would love to continue football, but ultimately, you have to have a degree too.
“A degree from an academic school will take him a long way.”
When it comes to Notre Dame, Williams fits the mold as the Irish are looking for players they can count on to make the right decision on or off the field, which is something Mr. Williams has taught his son.
“Always be respectful, especially when it comes to football,” stated Mr. Williams. “You’re not successful on your own because it’s a team sport. You need to make sure you thank everyone that helped you get to where you’re at.”
As a mother, Mrs. Williams has seen her son adopt the ‘Hard work always pays off’ philosophy, but she has witnessed him also live by faith and trusting in God’s plan for his future.
“We’re a faith-based family and believe that God has a plan prepared for him,” explained Mrs. Williams. “He’s just putting in the work to execute it.”