Grand Lake tackle Bryant Williams commits to UL-Lafayatte

Warren Arceneaux

Grand Lake offensive lineman Bryant Williams, a rising senior, committed to play college football at UL-Lafayette Monday.

Williams, a 6-8, 315 pound left tackle, committed to the Cajuns after visiting the ULL campus over the weekend. The Cajuns offered Williams in January. He also received interest from McNeese and Tulane.

“The atmosphere, the people, the coaches were all great,” Williams said of his visit. “I couldn’t believe it when they offered me. It was a top 15 team for my first offer, it really caught me off guard. I like their offense a lot with (returning starting quarterback) Levi Lewis and all of them. Seeing how they operate on the o-line, I want to be a part of that, especially with (ULL offensive line coaches) Coach (Darnell) Stapleton and Coach (Jeff) Norrid, learning from those guys will be fun.”

After playing his first two years of high school at Barbe before moving to Grand Lake following Hurricane Laura, Williams helped the Hornets (8-2) reach the Class 1A state championship game for the first time in program history.

He said agility is one of his strong suits.

“I feel like for a guy my size I can move pretty well, I’m pretty fast and my hand placement is on point,” he said. “I feel like I need to get my footwork down a bit better. I’m used to playing on the left side but if they want me to move to the right, I’ll more than gladly go to that side.’

Williams said moving to Grand Lake was easier than he anticipated.

“It was a different atmosphere, a tough transition since I didn’t know anybody but my cousin Kaleb Styron at Grand Lake and didn’t know if I would fit in,” he said. “I felt Barbe was my home. After two months at Grand Lake, I felt like I had a new home. The community is great. Everyone has each other’s back and it is a great place to be. There are really good people here.”

On the field, Williams took a liking to Grand Lake’s run-based offense.

“Being at Barbe, we had a mixture of run and pass, here we ran the veer,” he said. “I had to learn the new system, but it was a fun one to be in.”

Williams said the Hornets could make noise again this season.

“I’m looking forward to getting another year under (Grand Lake Head Coach) Jeff Wainwright, experiencing another year with my brothers at my side and getting to play another season with my cousin,” he said. “It is going to be a fun season, I think we are going to be able to make another run, we just all have to be on the same page.”

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6-8, 315 pound left tackle Bryant Williams was a major force in the trenches during Grand Lake’s run to the Class 1A finals last season. Williams committed to play for UL-Lafayette on Monday.

Rodrick Anderson / American Press

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