BYU didn’t just need another cornerback this season. It needed someone who could step into a flexible secondary, handle multiple spots and make the kind of quick adjustment that keeps a defense from feeling the loss of a proven contributor.
Jayven Williams has done exactly that.
Through three games, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound senior from Mobile, Alabama, has settled in as a valuable third corner for the Cougars, giving them another dependable option alongside Evan Johnson and Tre Alexander. With Mory Bamba gone after giving BYU two strong seasons as a versatile, athletic piece, the Cougars needed answers. They found one in Williams, a Mississippi State transfer who has already become part of the rotation.
“Jayven’s been great,” assessed BYU defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga. ” … He’s just great tackler, (and a) very physical football player.
He’s a guy that’s played a lot of football, playing in the SEC and been in other places, and he’s a great fit for this place. He’s come in and been able to fit in immediately with our our culture and the way that we do things and understanding our defense.
So it’s been exciting to see him progress and I was really excited to see him make plays on Saturday because he’s worked his butt off.”
Williams’ path to Provo took some time. He began at Kennesaw State, where he played his first three seasons before moving on to Mississippi State. Last season, he appeared in all 13 games for the Bulldogs, finishing with 18 tackles and an interception.
BYU staff members zeroed in on him in the transfer portal as they searched for help after Bamba’s departure. When the Cougars first reached out, Williams knew very little about the program. Even so, the fit came together quickly once he got around the team and the campus.
“I think BYU is one of those places where you have to come to see what’s here because a lot of people have their own interpretations of things that they think BYU may be about and what it actually is,” Williams said. “But you have to actually come to see, because it’s great out here. I mean, I knew BYU played good football, and that’s why I was interested at all, but then after coming out here made me know it’s the place I needed to be.”
That comfort level grew through relationships with players like Alexander and Jordyn Criss, plus the trust he built with coaches DeMario Warren, Lewis Walker, Poppinga and Kalani Sitake. For Williams, those connections made the move easier than he expected.
“It’s just been really, really easy for me to fit in here, and I was a bit surprised by that,” Williams said. “The players and coaches here are just so welcoming and while there was definitely some culture shock with me being from the south, the other factors overcame all of it. I love the culture of the BYU team and Provo is great, and when you have common goals with everyone else that’s here, it works.”
On the field, that fit has shown up in the way BYU uses him. The Cougars lean on a third-corner setup often, and Williams has been a useful piece in that structure. He can work outside when Alexander needs a breather opposite Johnson, and he can also help free Johnson to move inside to slot corner.
“I feel comfortable in the defensive system here,” Williams, who has 10 total tackles so far this season, said. “The defensive coaches here are great, and I knew I could fit in well, and so far it’s been great to help out where I can.”
Williams also sees this season in Provo as more than just a football stop. For him, the decision was about what comes after the game too.
“There’s a life after ball, and there’s a lot of people here doing a lot of great things other than ball,” Williams said. “So I know the relationships I’m building here with school and everything else is going to benefit me big when I’m 30 and even 40 years old, and probably long after that.
That’s honestly the biggest reason I’m here and the best thing about BYU. It’s definitely not a place I ever thought I’d end up, but I’m very happy to be here.”
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TCU still brings a defense that can make life difficult, but the offense has already raised questions after struggling in its loss to North Carolina. For BYU, this is the kind of early league game that can either validate the idea that last years rout was a sign of something real or remind everyone that Big 12 Saturdays tend to reveal more than they promise. [Read more 🡒]