‘You’ll be surprised how far a smile could go’
Family and football: CMU’s Jason Williams strives to shine light
With time running down in the first half of Central Michigan football’s matchup against Eastern Michigan, defensive lineman Jonah Pace sacked the Eagles quarterback leading to a fumble. In that moment, senior defensive lineman Jason Williams picked up the ball and ran it back 67 yards to give the Chippewas the lead.
It marked Williams’ first career touchdown and was a play that he dreamed of.
“That’s a lineman’s dream to get a scoop and score,” Williams said. “And I saw an open field. I couldn’t not do it, you know. So, it was great… I watch the video and smile all the time.”
The scoop and score touchdown has highlighted the breakout season for Williams. Through 10 games, Williams has the second most sacks on the team with 3.5, has 6.5 tackles for a loss and 37 total tackles.
Not only has he made an impact on the field, but his personality and smile shines bright, being labeled as ‘Mr.Personality’ on the team.
“He’s got such an infectious personality and great smile anyway,” head coach Jim McElwain said. “And then you add that with the way he is playing, he’s playing at a really high level right now. (He) has become a guy that we all can rely on, and that speaks a lot to who he is.”
Williams said he feels it is important to continue to spread positivity because he wants to be that light for everybody around him.
“Mentally… (I’m) just trying to keep myself locked in so I can be the best light for everybody else,” Williams said. “Because, you never know what somebody else is going through… You never know who’s having a bad day.
“And you’ll be surprised how far a smile can go. Sometimes, somebody just needs a hug.”
Keeping his trust in God and protecting his joy is what Williams credits for being able to stay in a positive mindset.
“The joy that I have, the world didn’t give it, the world can’t take it away,” Williams said. “I won’t let somebody else affect my day. If I have a bad day, it’s because of something I did or something that happened that pertains to me. I just try to keep myself centered with everything I got going on.”
Journey to CMU
Growing up in Florida, Williams started football when he was 6 years old due to his parents, who wanted him to have as many experiences as possible. Along with playing a sport, he also was doing something music related and was active in his church.
“I was always playing football or basketball… or playing piano or something and then singing in a choir at church,” Williams said.
As he dove deeper in the sport throughout his childhood, his dream became clear: making it to the National Football League.
“I had a lot of family members that were athletes,” Williams said. “And I always just wanted to get where they were or further.”
When it was time to make a decision on where to play, Williams chose CMU because he thought it would give him the best opportunity to reach his goal.
“Even though it is far from home, I figured coming to Central would be putting myself in the best position to make it to the next level,” Williams said.
The transition from Florida to Mount Pleasant was hard for Williams at first, especially having to adjust to the cold conditions in the winter.
“Back then, I didn’t know about black ice,” Williams said. “So, I’m just walking regular, thinking everything is cool, and I’m slipping and falling. It took a while, but I got the hang of it… I had,www three (winter coats).”
Along with the weather, being away from home also taught him how to keep himself accountable and the importance of building relationships.
“Relationships are everything,” Williams said. “It’s always important to build that good relationship with the people around you because you never know when you might need some help or when somebody else might need help.”
As he has continued his football career, Williams said his family members have taught him many lessons including remembering “your why”.
“Best thing they say is keep the main thing the main thing,” he said. “Always remember your ‘why,’ remember your reason for doing everything because that’s really what gets you through the long days, the early mornings, the body aches, the class, the training room, the (long) schedule that you’ve got to go through.
“Just remember why you’re doing it in the first place is what’s got me this far.”
Family comes first
For Williams, his why is his family. He credits his family for not only who is as a football player but as a person.
“I mean how many sacrifices they made, the things they’ve done to get me in the position I am in right now, the least I can do is give it my all,” Williams said. “Without my family, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. They’ve taught me everything. Literally everything… I can’t even think about, where I would be, (and) what I would do if it wasn’t for my family. They’ve sacrificed so much and showed me the rights and the wrongs… My family’s my everything.”
Even though they are far away, Williams said he still feels the support from his family.
“Sometimes I come back in the locker room, I look at my phone, and I already got a thousand notifications from all my family members,” Williams said. “I can almost cry every time I see it because… being so far from home, you miss all the little small family gatherings.
“Every time I get to get a little bit of a glimpse of family, it always means the most to me.”
What’s next?
This season, Williams has emerged as a leader and has already surpassed his “sack and tackles for a loss” totals from the season before. Williams credits the defensive line coach, who helped him attack this season differently than before.
“He was like, ‘well, let’s change your perspective a little bit,’” Williams said. “Instead of trying to make every play, let’s beat every block… Just give yourself something that’s measurable, something that you can hold yourself accountable for.”
The Chippewas have struggled in conference play this season, losing four-straight games. However, as a leader Williams believes in the team and their capabilities.
“I know we have the players, and everything we need to be the team that we know we can be,” Williams said. “So, it’s really just trying to get things moving and shake off the losses, shake off the bumps and bruises. Remind people… who they are.”
After his career at CMU comes to an end, Williams said he doesn’t know what the future holds. Whether he will continue playing football or head into the workforce, Williams said he is excited to see what comes next.
“I’ve never really been anything outside of football,” Williams said. “So, if I get to continue on with football, then you know I’m thankful to God for that, but if not then I’m just excited to see where life takes me.”
