TCU freshman defensive lineman Damonic Williams made an impact on the football team right away, playing in 15 games during the 2022 season. During his first game as a Horned Frog, he made history by being the first 17-year-old to commit a sack in the program.
With much humility, Williams was proud of his accomplishments.
“That was a big one for me,” he said. “But I couldn’t get big-headed about it. I just keep my head down and continue going.”
Williams made 12 solo tackles and 27 total hits along with 4.5 tackles for a loss of 14 yards during his freshman season. He had a season-high of six stops during the Horned Frogs’ 43-40 victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Related Stories
Student Athlete of the Week: Reign Waugh
NFL Star, Intuit, Teaches Inglewood High Students About Money
The Torrance native saw a lot of playing time during his time at Alemany high school and was used to playing extended minutes. However, there were other aspects of college play that he had to get acclimated to.
“In college, things are so much faster and everyone’s a lot stronger,” Williams said. “You’re not just the best player no more, everyone is good on good all the time, no matter what.”
Williams is the first person since his grandmother to attend college. TCU provides resources and discipline to ensure academic success.
“They have learning specialists and they have tutoring and they have academic coaches and everything is mandatory,” Williams said. “If you miss it, you’re doing punishment … they’re gonna stay on top of you, every little thing they see wrong, they’re gonna call it out.”
The work Williams put in helped the Horned Frogs reach the CFP National Championship. He recalled the Horned Frogs’ 51-45 win over Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl.
“Everybody, they just treat us like the underdog and that’s how it’s been all season,” Williams said. “That was cool just showing up and showing out. Shutting Michigan up, shutting their fan base up, that was something very, very special.”
During his freshman year in high school, Williams gave up on playing football and considered being a swimmer.
“I was a sensitive guy and my coach, he cussed me out real bad and I’m like “mom, I’m done with this,”” Williams said. “She was like “[Williams] just because you let one coaches cussing you out don’t mean you have to quit what you love.” I’m like “okay, you’re right. I’m gonna see it through.”
