Having never trained to run the 40-yard dash, Haywood athlete Darion Williamson bent down and took off. The sweat didn't have time to surface in the 4.5 seconds that Williamson barreled down the field of Tennessee's indoor complex last month.
Jeremy Pruitt took notice and offered the raw athlete on the spot.
"The coaches started to come over and hover around me," Williamson said. "I didn't think to much about it. I just did what I always do. It wasn't out of the ordinary for me. I know I can run faster though because I didn't have a good stance at all."
Williamson committed to Tennessee on Wednesday evening and put a stop to his recruitment just as it seemed destined to blow up. He's seen all that he needs to see and decided Rocky Top is the best place for him. He becomes the 12th member of Tennessee's 2020 class.
"When I went down I just loved the facilities and the actitivies around campus," Williamson said.
"Coach Pruitt wants me and that is big. He loves my ability and how raw I am. He thinks I can play both sides of the ball and he loves that."
Since his impressive camp showing, he's talked to running backs assistant coach David Johnson a bunch. He also has heard from Tee Martin. The Vols love this athleticism and covet players that can be versatile.
"They think I can play both sides," Williamson said. "Coach Johnson is the one that came down to see me and got me down for camp. He's a down to earth guy. He just looks out for you. He's so cool and calm. He knows everything about Tennessee and how I would fit into the program."
Tennessee has been very direct with Williamson. They think he could play on either side of the ball, so they have him labeled as an athlete. Does he care which side of the ball he ends up on?
"I would like to play offense, but I'd play either side of the ball," Williamson said. "I bring physicality and I'm a good teammate. I bring a different mentality to the offensive side. I attack the ball up in the air and I have soft hands."
When he attended camp, he did so with his parents. What they think matters to Williamson and that's why he relied on them during the decision making process.
"My mom and dad are very excited," Williamson said. "I knew they would like my decision to commit to Tennessee. I told them that I could come on and start. They felt like it was a good fit for me. They were telling me It was a good fit and that it fit me perfect."
And now his attention turns squarely on Haywood and his senior season.
"I'm very excited to get it out of the way and focus on my senior year," Williamson said. "We made a lot of progress this summer. I think we can do big things this year. We just have to do everything we did last year and take it further."
