THE PENNANT PLAYER PROFILE
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It was the kind of conversation that children have with their parents all the time, expressing their hopes and dreams for the future.
But it's starting to look like what Washburn University receiver Jace Williams promised his father, Jason, some 15 years ago could actually come true.
"Growing up I remember telling my dad before bed, 'Dad, I'm going to be a professional football player, I'm going to be a professional athlete,' '' Williams said. "At the time I didn't know which sport I was going to play, but I knew I wanted to be a pro athlete and my dad would just be like, 'OK, work hard and we'll see.' ''
With a big senior season what was once a pipe dream could be well within reach for the 6-foot-5, 235-pounder, who has already caught the eye of NFL scouts.
Washburn senior receiver Jace Williams has received attention from NFL scouts heading into the 2021 season. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"He's just a phenomenal athlete, a very fast learner, and I think he can truly play on at the next level,'' Washburn coach Craig Schurig said of Williams. "He just needs to get a shot at it.
"That's kind of a hot position right now, that H-back, tall receiver, and he's got a unique skill set.''
A former standout quarterback at Buhler who doubled up in basketball for Washburn, had 19 receptions for 302 yards and five touchdowns for the 6-5 Ichabods in 2019 and also rushed for 100 yards and three TDs on just 10 carries before the entire '20 season was wiped out by COVID-19.
"He's a tremendous player and at the end of '19 I thought he was one of the dominant offensive players in the conference,'' Schurig said. "Hopefully he takes off from there.''
Obviously the possibility of getting a shot at the NFL is intriguing, but Williams is doing his best to keep those kind of thoughts on the back burner as he gets set to open his sixth and final year at Washburn in Thursday night's season-opener at Lincoln.
"Obviously it's exciting and it gets you excited for the season, but you've got to remember: We've got a season,'' Williams said. "I'm wearing Washburn on my jersey and I don't know what next year looks like or any time after the fall, but I know this fall we're having a football season and I'm excited to just go play.
"The biggest thing honestly is I just need some good film and for me to get good film we've got to have a good football team, so I'm just rooting for the whole team at this point and I know if the team's good it will help me, it will help other guys and the whole program will help itself.''
Obviously the NCAA Division II ranks aren't necessarily a hotbed for pro prospects, but Washburn has sent both Corey Ballentine and Kyle Hinton to the NFL over the past three years which should help Williams' cause.
"Coming to a D-II you don't necessarily expect to see NFL scouts at every practice but since my freshman year there's been guys on the team that have brought in NFL scouts so I thought it was a realistic thing that could happen, but obviously a lot of things have to fall into place,'' he said.
"The fact that I talked about it as a little kid, I wouldn't say I really ever wavered, but I knew it was going to take a lot of work. Now I'll do what I can do and leave it up to the people watching and see what they think.''
