Now Comfortable at Oklahoma, DT Damonic Williams is Emerging as a Vocal Leader

You can also watch Damonic Williams' interview on YouTube.

That all changed for Williams after the Sooners took on Tennessee. 

OU lost 25-15 to the then-No. 6 Volunteers, but Williams logged four tackles, including a tackle for loss.

“I felt like maybe after the Tennessee game, that trust was kind of more there because they saw, OK, this is a dude,” Williams said. “This is not just someone they just picked up out of the portal, but they could really rely on me.”

Williams opted to return to Norman for his senior season to continue working with Bates and Venables. 

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He wants to be known as more than just a run-stopper, though he was a key part of OU’s stout run defense a year ago alongside fellow defensive tackle Jayden Jackson. 

“I want to put as best film as I can,” Williams said. “… Truly, now I understand the defense like the back of my hand. I know there's some things I still have to get better at, but with Coach Bates by my side I know I can do that. 

“… At the end of the day… If I don't get the sacks, as long as they feel me, I feel like I did my job and then some. As long as I can disrupt the play and be the cause of the disruption.”

Part of the ongoing growth for Williams was continuing to allow strength coach Jerry Schmidt to transform his body. 

Williams was listed at 312 pounds on Oklahoma’s online roster in 2024. When fall camp opened up last Thursday, he weighed in at 323 pounds, and he still felt as fast and as explosive as ever. 

Off the field, Williams’ support system grew stronger over the offseason as well. 

His mother and younger brother moved to Oklahoma, allowing Williams to pop in and spend time with his family and be around his brother as he continues through his high school career. 

“I love it. I love it. They live like what, two minutes away? And it's just… eat some good food from my mom that she cooks,” Williams said. “And being able to have my little brother here with me going to high school and everything like that, it's just I miss two, three years of his high school experience. So the fact that I can go down the road, probably try to catch a game one day for a bye week, I love that feeling.”

All of that has allowed Williams to flourish and grow into the leader Bates wants, setting the tone for OU’s defensive line, which will help get the best out of the entire unit. 

“I just now got comfortable speaking up and not being okay with just letting the little things slide because those little things, they leak in and they become huge things later on down the line,” Williams said. “... I'm talking a lot more, being a lot more comfortable with the guys.”