Through a cloud of green smoke, senior Tate Williams takes the field. Feet pound the turf, a thick carpet. With the airhorn blazing, he takes a knee at the end of the field, ready to play.

In March, Baylor University offered Williams an opportunity to play division I football on a full-ride scholarship.

“I never even thought about playing college ball,” Williams said. “It just kind of came up my junior year.”

Although many football players get their start on the field as young as four, Williams did not. Afraid of injury, his parents did not allow him to play until seventh grade.

“I was on the B team my seventh-grade year,” Williams said. “From day one, my parents made me wear knee braces.”

Despite his later-than-average start, Williams exceled quickly. According to Williams, the first school that contacted him about playing in college was the University of Texas.

“I really didn’t hear much from anybody else until March of this year,” Williams said. “Then, things started moving. ACU contacted me and made me my first official offer. I started thinking, ‘I could actually play college ball.'”

Williams chose Baylor for a variety of reasons, including the academics. He plans to major in business with a minor in real estate in hopes of opening his own real estate business.

“It’s a great degree, plus I get to go there for free,” Williams.

Williams’ mother, Kristie Williams, said she was not surprised when Baylor made the offer. What surprised her the most were the initial Division I offers.

“When he got Rutgers’ offer, that was the one we were big-time celebrating,” Mrs. Williams said. “We knew after that [offer], all the big schools would follow.”

Baylor was not at the forefront of Mrs. Williams’ mind, however. She thought her son would choose to attend Texas Tech University.

“The UT football program looked at him, and then Tech football program looked at him, but they never made the offer,” Mrs. Williams said. “The Baylor football program, unbeknownst to me at the time, was a better football program. The head coach is new this year, Coach Aranda. He’s coming from LSU. All of those things, including some of the kids that he’s met that are already on the football team, made it a good place for him.”

According to Wall High School head football coach, Houston Guy, Tate has earned everything he’s got.

“He’s very blessed, but most of that [talent] would be the hard work he’s put into it,” Guy said.

Guy said he wants to see Tate be the best that he can be.

“I would like to see him be a starter for Baylor and contribute to their program. If that leads to bigger and better, then that’s awesome,” Guy said.

If that happens, it will be in large part due to Tate’s work ethic, Guy said.

“To me, he’s one of those kids that’s gonna outwork everyone else around him,” Guy said. “If I had to describe Tate in one word, I would say, ‘relentless in everything he does.’”