Dowling Catholic running back Gavin Williams finally got back on the field Friday night after missing the first three weeks of the season with a foot injury and ended up rushing for 150 yards in his first game of the year. We caught up with his head coach, Tom Wilson, to talk to him about the future Hawkeye and his abilities on the field.
Q: How would you describe Gavin as a football player?
WILSON: Gavin is a combination of speed and strength. What also really helps him is he is good in the pass game.
Q: What do you feel are his main strengths at this point?
WILSON: Right now, it has been his attitude. He works. He spends a great deal of time on the small things with his game. Whether it be footwork, blocking, etc. He is working to be a complete back and has shown he is willing to do the work necessary.
Q: What areas is he going to continue working on as he prepares for the rest of this season and beyond?
WILSON: With most backs that look to take a jump to another level, it is in pass protection. Also with Gavin being out the first three games, he is not at his peak yet physically. Hopefully, he will just get better.
Q: How are you using him early this season?
WILSON: We have only had him for one game. However, we can use him as a receiver, blocker or a runner. The combination of Teagan Johnson and Gavin should continue to evolve and help us down the stretch.
Q: How is he doing health wise at this point during the fall?
WILSON: Right now, he feels great. His stress fracture has fully healed. He only has 20 carries under his belt for the year so he is good at this time.
Q: What percentage would you say he is at this point?
WILSON: I would say 90% and that has all to do with conditioning.
Q: How would you describe his leadership style?
WILSON: This is an area where I have been very impressed. His attitude is nothing but positive. He has been energetic in practice and others feed off of that. Even when he wasn't in the game last week, he was very positive on the sidelines with everyone. A great thing about Teagan and Gavin is they are there to support each other. They know they are stronger together than individually.
Q: How do you see him projecting out at the college level?
WILSON: As you watch Iowa play, you understand what they look for. Gavin fits the mold of the guys they have now. I am not saying he is at their level because they have college experience. However, he fits their zone scheme as well as being able to catch the ball out of the backfield.
Q: When does he plan on getting back up to Iowa?
WILSON: He has been to one game this fall and I am sure he will go back up. We have not talked recently about that as he has been more focused on us at this point.
Q: What led him to picking the Hawkeyes?
WILSON: His relationship with Coach Foster in my mind is what made a difference. Obviously, Coach Morgan was involved and now Coach Niemann. Those guys are great with him but feel he connected most with his soon to be position coach.
