After a 51-14 dismantling of the Iowa Hawkeyes, Jerry Kill and his coordinators were in good spirits during Tuesday’s press conference. The coaches took questions regarding the growth of Maxx Williams, an explosive game from K.J. Maye, and the emergence of true freshman, Everett Williams.
Maxx Dominates
Many Gopher fans have been calling for an increased role from Maxx Williams in the Minnesota offense. Saturday’s game showed why as Williams hauled in three touchdowns and made two acrobatic catches to stay in bounds. The incredible grabs were no surprise to the Minnesota coaching staff.
“I mean he just ‑‑ he does things, and I heard Coach [Zebrowski] talk about it on Saturday after the game in an interview,” said Matt Limegrover. “He talked about Maxx is the kind of kid that he does that kind of stuff in practice. We have to hold our breath sometimes because he just doesn’t know how to not go after it. He doesn’t know how to pull back, and so I think that just carries over into the ball games.”
Everyone saw the catches but may have missed the impact the tight end had in the Gophers’ offense as a blocker.
“He played a tremendous game on Saturday but one thing I would tell you a lot of people concentrated on his receptions, but he had a very good job executing his blocking assignments,” said Kill.
Williams has continued to develop since his freshman season, adding weight while maintaining his elite athleticism.
“He’s a great player, great athlete, and the biggest thing, he’s put on weight,” said Kill. “I think Max weighed about 200 pounds, something like that, played quarterback. And you know, he’s in that, you know, 2 ‑‑ I’m guessing 240, 245, somewhere in there. Maybe even 250. I don’t know, but he’s ‑‑ you know, he’s gotten stronger. He’s gotten bigger, you know, and that’s kind of the recruiting, you know, philosophy.”
Maye Breaks Out
K.J. Maye also had an impressive game against the Hawkeyes; rushing for 66 yards and a touchdown while also catching a pass for 13 yards. The Alabama native was explosive on Saturday, outpacing the Iowa defense.
“I think he’s healthier…I mean, you know, and maybe the bye weeks and things have helped him,” said Kill. “And part of that again is him getting touches and so forth, and he’s made some big catches for us this year. But he looked extremely fast, you know, and quick on Saturday.”
Since arriving at Minnesota, Maye has worked hard to be the type of player that the Gophers were looking for when they recruited him out of high school.
“But what you can’t quantify is how big that kid’s heart is and his desire to go play football,” said Limegrover. “It’s hard to keep him off the field when he’s healthy and the great thing is he’s healthy now, so he gets a lot of time because he’s a dependable kid. There’s ways you can get him the football that are obviously nontraditional for a receiver, and he’s worked darn hard to make himself a better receiver.”
Freshman LB Starts
With Damien Wilson forced to miss the start of last Saturday’s game, starting linebacker duties fell to true freshman, Everett Williams. The Texas native didn’t look out of place, recording two tackles and breaking up a pass. Coming out of high school, Williams was not highly recruited; claiming offers from Navy, Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico State, and the Gophers.
“You know, everybody has their own evaluations,” said Tracy Claeys of Williams’ recruiting. “People get tired of hearing this is that, you know, Coach Poore is the one who found Everett. I flew down and watched him practice, you know, in the spring. I liked the way he practiced, and so we offered him.”
The play of Williams as a true freshman is a testament to the coaching staff’s ability to find and evaluate talent that fits Minnesota’s system.
“You know, it’s the same old thing, we just go off of our own live evaluations and feel like the kid’s got the strength and the speed to play and plays well, then we’re going to offer him,” said Claeys. “And there’s a handful of kids. There’s quite a few of them out there like Everett that don’t get as high of praise, and you just gotta be willing to put in the time and the effort to find them.”