Why Derrick Williams is the "Most Important Player" to ever play at Penn State

It’s amazing how quickly the college football season comes and goes for us fans. Even so, I can't imagine how fast Senior Day came for Senior Co-Captain Derrick Williams.

Just four years ago, Williams was ready to graduate from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland, and was one of the most coveted high school recruits in the country (consensus top 10 recruit). As you can imagine, however, there are certain expectations that come along with those accolades. Fast-forward approximately 1260 days and it can be argued that Derrick Williams not only met, but surpassed those expectations. But there are some doubters who would argue that Williams never “lived up to the hype.” Their arguments look something like this.

Is Williams the greatest Penn State football player of all-time?

No. Some many names come to mind: Cappelletti, Moore, Mitchell, Harris, Arrington, Brown, Carter, Collins, Ham, Conlan, Blackledge, Warner, Johnson, Posluszny? The list goes on and on. Is Williams in the discussion? Yes. Is he the best? Probably not.

Is Williams the greatest Penn State wide receiver of all-time?

No. That battle is between current Senior wide receiver Deon Butler, Bobby Engram, O.J. McDuffie, and possibly Bryant Johnson. (Side Note: Bryant Johnson played during the “Dark Ages” of Penn State Football but is still seventh on the all-time receptions list. Who knows what Johnson could have done surrounded by the talent on the 2005 and 2008 teams?) Again, is Williams in the discussion? Yes. Is he the best? Probably not.

So how can a player who is not even the best player to ever play his position “The Most Important Player” to ever wear the Blue & White?

There are many reasons. Just to name a two:

1. He is the most versatile offensive player to every play at Penn State. Williams is a wide receive, running back, quarterback, punt returner, and kick returner.

2. In 2005, during the Michigan game, Williams broke his arm. Penn State went on to lose that game on a last-second play and rebounded to win the conference championship. But the offense, although still effective in Williams’s absence, was never as explosive the rest of the season.

However, the primary reason why Williams is the “Most Important” Penn State Player of all-time relates to the circumstances that surrounded his commitment out of high school.

Derrick Williams committed to Penn State when few other top recruits would even consider Penn State as their future Alma Mater. Williams’s commitment came on the heals of a 4-7 season and a string of four out of five losing seasons. His commitment also came at a time when the Penn State offensive strategy was out-dated and largely unproductive. But his commitment signaled to other recruits that Penn State was on the way “back.” Those top recruits could commit to Penn State knowing that they were not jeopardizing their future NFL careers by choosing Penn State.

For example, following Williams’s commitment, several highly coveted recruits also chose Penn State. Future key players such as Jerome Hayes, Aaron Maybin, Navorro Bowman, Jared Odrick, A.J. Wallace, Maurice Evans, Evan Royster, and Pat Devlin. Williams, along with assistant coach Larry Johnson, Sr., helped pave the in-roads into recruiting the Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. metro area—a connection that is far stronger today than it was in 2004. (Currently, Penn State 2009 recruiting class includes seven high school stand-outs from Maryland with the possible addition of at least two more top-250 players in the near future.)

When asked recently why he chose Penn State in 2004, given the state of program at the time, Williams responded that he wanted to “make a difference” at his future school. When the reporter followed-up asking if Williams felt that he had made a difference at Penn State, Williams did not hesitate. “I definitely made difference,” said Williams, citing relationships with his teammates and “leading by example.”

Yes, Derrick, your certainly did.

Oh yea, and did I mention that amidst multiple suspensions and dismissals involving Penn State Football Players, Williams always conducted himself like a team captain, a champion, and a role model. He has done things "the right way," the "Penn State way."

Would Penn State have been as successful in 2005 and 2008 without Williams? Would Penn State have landed all of the top recruits listed above if Williams had not committed to Penn State? Would Penn State have ever truly bounced back from four out of five losing seasons? Would Joe Paterno even still be the head coach at Penn State, now on the verge of two Big Ten Championships in four years?

The answer to all of those questions must be a resounding: Maybe. We’ll never know. But I do know one thing. With less than three days until Derrick Williams is recognized as a senior co-captain and runs out of the tunnel one last time at Beaver Stadium, I am one fan who will not trivialize, or take for granted, what Derrick Williams has meant to Penn State Football for the last four years.

When a player's worth can not be measured simply by a discussion of their “numbers,” but rather by their intangibles, it is impossible to overstate that player’s importance to their team.