One call, that's all.
When J.J. Williams opted to leave the Air Force Academy's prep school to play college football, his father placed a call to a close friend who just happened to be in the business — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.
Doug Williams and Whittingham have stayed in contact since their playing days at BYU in the late '70s.
When informed of J.J.'s situation, Whittingham didn't hesitate to offer a solution. He quickly extended an invitation to join the Utes as a walk-on.
It was the best offer Williams fielded despite being a two-time defensive MVP at Grandview High School in Aurora, Colo.
Colorado State showed little interest. Same goes for his father's alma mater. Williams sent stuff to BYU but failed to land much contact.
"Utah was really the only program that even responded," Williams said. "I figured if you're going to walk on, you might as well walk-on where someone is at least interested."
The decision proved to be a good one.
Williams is walking, talking proof that college football recruiting is far from an exact science. The redshirt freshman has made the quantum leap from walk-on to starter. He's expected to be in the lineup for the fourth consecutive game Saturday when Utah faces CSU at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Williams has 25 tackles to his credit and returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown in Utah's win over UNLV on Oct. 28.
Whittingham, for obvious reasons, is pleased with the showing.
"He's exceeded our expectations. Some guys are like that. They handle that transition," Whittingham said. "For whatever reason, their mentality is such that they raise their level of play when they get their opportunity. And that's what he did."
Williams, a 6-foot, 225-pound rover, doesn't think it's such a big deal. He considers himself someone who just took advantage of an opportunity.
"Here at Utah, they treat everyone the same whether you are a walk-on or a four-year starter," Williams said. "If you've got the work ethic and you've got the talent, they're going to put you in there."
Even so, Williams admits the journey from walk-on to starter has been swift.
"My goal when I came here was just to make the travel squad and be on a few special teams," he said. "So I did that. I just kept at it and good things worked out."
The "pick 6" against UNLV was just the second defensive score of his career.
"That was awesome," said Williams, who returned a fumble 60 yards or so for a touchdown in high school. "It was an amazing feeling."
The next two opportunities to relive the experience come against teams from his home state — CSU and Air Force (Nov. 18).
That, insists the only Coloradan on Utah's roster, doesn't mean much — even if he did consider walking on at CSU at one point. Williams considers every game a big deal.
"I know a lot of my friends are going to be rooting for CSU. But it's just another game," he said. "I've got to go out there and play my hardest, just like any other game. It's no extra pressure or anything."
Utes on the air
Colorado St. (4-5, 1-4) at Utah (5-4, 3-2)
Saturday, noon
Rice-Eccles Stadium
TV: Versus (Comcast 34, Dish Network 151, DirecTV 608)
Radio: 700AM
E-mail: dirk@desnews.com