I’ve always been preparing myself as if I’m the starter. And if that’s the case, then I’ll just embrace it and try to be a leader for my team, and help get the win for the team. – Troy Williams
SALT LAKE CITY — Reeling from the disappointment he felt over losing Utah’s starting quarterback job to sophomore Tyler Huntley, Troy Williams made a phone call that he both needed and dreaded.
“My mom was the first person I called,” said Williams, who started as a junior in 2016 and won nine games for the Utes. “I feel like I let my family down, and I was very disappointed in the whole situation, as well. I just feel like, it was a tough call for me to make. I was just trying to figure out how I was going to tell her: I’m not going to be starting this year.”
As it turned out, Kimberly and Troy Williams Sr. shared his disappointment, while reminding him there was really only one way to handle the situation.
“I called (my mom) and my dad,” Williams said Monday, “and they helped me out a lot, just told me to, you know, continue to keep the faith, continue to be who I am, don’t change, just continue to strive and work hard. They said they support me the whole way, so that helped me a lot.”
His father said they were surprised their son wasn’t named the starting quarterback, but they have not been surprised at how he’s handled himself in the weeks since. It is, in fact, exactly what they’ve always advised him to do when he’s facing disappointment and challenges.
“When he called, we were at Universal Studios with our daughter and some friends for her birthday,” said Troy Williams Sr. “It was upsetting for both of us. …We told him, ‘You’ve just got to keep working. It’s the coach’s decision, and don’t fault those guys. They’re just trying to do what’s best for the team.'”
Williams was blindsided by the decision, which came about a week after he was voted a team captain for the second straight season by his teammates. Still, he handled it with a kind of poise and professionalism that is increasingly rare in college sports.
“Troy is a real fighter,” said trainer JT Thompson, who has worked with Williams since high school. “He’s very humble, very patient, and the setbacks only make him more hungry. He’ll prove why he is one of the greatest. He’ll be ready to play every time he touches the field.”
That was certainly true in Utah’s game at Arizona on Sept. 22. When Huntley went down with a shoulder injury, Williams answered the call by leading the Utes to a 30-24 victory. As the Utes coaching staff doesn’t discuss injuries, there is no telling how long Huntley will be out, or how long the starting job will belong to Williams.
The senior said that doesn’t matter to him.
“I’ve always been preparing myself as if I’m the starter,” he said. “And if that’s the case, then I’ll just embrace it and try to be a leader for my team, and help get the win for the team.”
He’s not even sure when coaches will make that decision or any announcement.
“I’m just going to continue to prepare myself, to be ready when my name is called,” he said.
Williams’ teammates and coaches said that nothing changed as far as his commitment after learning he wouldn’t be the opening-game starter in his senior season.
“He didn’t let it keep him down,” said wide receiver Darren Carrington II, whose known Williams since high school. “He kept working. Everyone knows when your time comes, you’ve got to show up. I thought he came in out of nowhere and clicked right away.”
The experience, even if it was unwanted, has brought him new insight and strength.
“Yeah, it taught me a lot about how to be a pro,” he said. “Just, you know, be patient and just continue to stay positive and stay strong through everything, no matter what it was. The main thing is it taught me to be a pro.” Williams is no stranger to disappointment.
The No. 3-ranked quarterback in the country coming out of Narbonne High School, Williams committed to Washington because Steve Sarkisian was the coach. After Williams redshirted, however, Sarkisian left, and Chris Peterson didn’t see what Sarkisian had seen in Williams. Eventually, he decided to transfer to Santa Monica Junior College, and while leading them to a 10-0 season, he accepted an offer to play at Utah. He was voted team captain before he ever played a game last season, and then he led the Utes to a nine-win season in his junior year.
He was visibly excited about the hiring of Troy Taylor as Utah’s offensive coordinator this season and looked to improve along with his team in his senior campaign.
Then 10 days before Utah’s season opener, coaches announced Huntley had earned the starting job over Williams.
“I feel like, you know, it’s human to be a little disappointed,” he said. “You have your moment, but you can’t be down for too long because it will affect you in the long run. So you give yourself a couple of moments, a day or whatever it may be, and then you get back to work.”
Carrington, who is Utah’s leading receiver, said some of Williams’ toughness comes from their California roots.
“Where we’re from in Cali, that’s just how we’re built, if you want to be real,” Carrington said. “Nothing phases him. He just kept his head up the whole way through it. …His work ethic is just out of the roof. He’s always working, always doing little things, he knows the game, and he’s a big leader for this team. He’s just a leader in general.”
Revered for his work ethic, Williams admits he may even be working harder because of the disappointment. And he admits, with a slight smile, that he’s learned even more about himself through this painful process.
Williams’ ability to find inspiration in heartbreak may come from the way his parents raised him.
“Me and my wife, we’ve just always told him, ‘You’ve got to persevere’” Troy Williams Sr. said. “That’s the main point we’ve made to him. ‘When things get tough, you’ve got to fight through them.’ And the good thing is, that when you go through hard times, and you persevere, the reward is even sweeter.”