I still remember the hit. It felt like a freight train.
I was the newly converted tackle facing Solomon Thomas for the first time in practice. We were teammates at Coppell High, but there was nothing friendly about this meeting.
My exposure to Solomon at this point was watching his games from the stands and being amazed at his skill, athleticism, and brute strength as a pass rusher. Now I was face to face with him in practice, waiting for the whistle to blow.
Texas OT Connor Williams joins Move the Sticks
After winning the first rep and feeling pretty good about myself, we were face to face again, this time Solomon with an all-business expression. The whistle blew and the next thing I knew I was flat on my back.
It showed me two things: 1) I could handle a player of Solomon’s enormous ability; and 2) I had a long way to go to reach his heights.
But the multiple scholarship offers were proving it was possible, even if I was only a three-star recruit. The only one that mattered to me, though, was the one from Texas. I didn’t even seriously consider any of the others. Every Texas kid dreams of putting on the burnt orange uniform, and now this had become my reality.
My three years on the 40 Acres have been some of the best years of my life. I am so thankful for the opportunity.
I dreamed of playing in the NFL but I never thought I’d make it to this level. I just wanted to contribute to the football team at UT. When I got here, I was nervous. I just wanted to work hard and earn my way. When we would throw the horns up in the huddle, I didn’t want to join. In my mind, I hadn’t earned that right yet to partake in this school tradition.
As a sophomore, even after earning All-America freshman honors, I was still quiet and wanted to lead by example.
Then this past year, the new coaching staff needed me to be more verbal, needed me to be more of a vocal leader. It didn’t come naturally to me; if you pay close enough attention, my stutter is still present. Besides, I was always the quiet one who didn’t like speaking. It was difficult for me to step up into that leader role.
But I gained confidence by seeing my teammates count on me for leadership. I didn’t need their friendship, but I gained their respect.
I’ve learned over the years that respect is much more important, something I had twisted backward in my younger days.
