12/8/2019 football Edit

NC State adds commitment from kicker Ian Williams

Matt Carter and Mike Singer

TheWolfpacker.com

The only time kicker Ian Williams had been to NC State football was over the summer for a camp. The initial impression was good.

“I really liked it when I went there,” Williams recalled. “I liked all the coaches. Coach Worth Gregory and Coach [Todd] Goebbel. I really liked them, and especially the head coach, Dave Doeren. I really liked him.”

Gregory is NC State's special teams quality control assistant, while Goebbel is the Pack's special teams coordinator.

His family also grew an appreciation for NC State.

Williams made his decision Sunday at the end of his official visit. (Mike Singer)

“My dad went up with me to the camp, and he really liked the coaches as well,” Williams added.

At the time however, the best NC State could offer Williams was a preferred walk-on opportunity. Even though Williams excelled at the camp, which came after a junior season during which the 6-foot-3, 180-pounder made 18 of 21 field goals as a junior with a long of 52 yards, NC State was full.

He also averaged a solid 39.8 yards on 31 punts and was good for 73 touchbacks on 84 kickoffs.

Circumstances changed in the fall, however. NC State redshirt sophomore reserve punter Mackenzie Morgan announced he was transferring. That opened up a spot for a kicker in the class, and Williams was still available.

By that point he had offers from Army, Charlotte, Furman and Western Carolina, and he made an official visit to Furman the weekend before Thanksgiving. NC State, though, changed the game with its offer.

“I know both kickers were All-ACC punter and All-ACC kicker,” Williams said, referring to redshirt sophomore punter Trenton Gill and sophomore kicker Christopher Dunn. “They are known for their specialists.”

This weekend, Williams made an official visit to NC State, and at the end of the trip he decided to announce his verbal commitment to the Wolfpack.

“I went up there this weekend and my family and I decided that it’s the place for me, and I committed,” he explained.

It’s been a quick rise for Williams. He tore his ACL in eighth grade and didn’t start kicking until he was a freshman in high school. Chris Kohl of Kohl’s Kicking ranked Williams the No. 6 kicker nationally in the 2020 class.

This season, Williams has made 7 of 11 field goals (two were blocked) with a long of 45 yards and has booted 96 percent of kickoffs for touchbacks.

That journey will continue at NC State, and he will get to do so with the added bonus of being able to play in front of his family.

“They like it, close to home,” Williams said. “It’s easy for them to get up to games. It’s not that bad of a drive. They really like the school.”