Eastern’S Williams Catching On

Julian Williams seems intent on earning his college degree by the end of the summer and securing an extra year of eligibility to play football at Eastern Washington University.

But in case he might need a little extra motivation, Eagles coach Paul Wulff has granted Williams a wish that should further strengthen his classroom resolve.

He has given his All-Big Sky Conference free safety a chance to play on the other side of the ball - at wide receiver. And both parties seem elated with the arrangement.

“It’s great,” Williams said of the position-change experiment Saturday morning, after hauling in four passes for 36 yards in Eastern’s second scrimmage of the spring. “Actually, I’ve been on (the coaches’) case about letting me try it. It was nice that the quarterbacks had a little faith in me and actually went to me a couple of times.”

Wulff stressed that the move is far from permanent, but hinted Williams has a good chance of playing both ways next fall.

“We’ve been kind of rotating him week to week,” said Wulff, who made wide receivers one of his recruiting priorities last February. “One week he’s defense, one week he’s offense. Based on our lack of depth at wideout, we need to find some guys who can make plays at that position.

“We’ve got a bunch of kids coming in next fall, but there’s no guarantee they’re going to be able to step in and play. So, with the depth in our secondary and the fact that Julian is an athlete - and wants to play the position, also - the change gives us a chance to open up a little bit more offensively.”

Williams, a three-year starter, played some wide receiver at Mountain View High School in Vancouver, Wash., but has been strictly a defensive back since joining the Eagles. Last year he started all 11 games and finished second on the team with 83 tackles. He also intercepted two passes and batted down four others.

“I haven’t played receiver in about four years,” Williams said, “but as a DB, you always feel like you can play receiver. The toughest part for me is running precise routes, but on the other side, I know how a DB will react to a certain move that I do because I’ve been reacting to that same move for three years.”

To get his chance at wideout during an actual game, Williams must stay on track to graduate this summer. The 6-foot 190-pounder came to Eastern as an academic non-qualifier and was not eligible to play or practice as a freshman. Previously, his non-participatory 1996 season would have counted toward his four years of Division I eligibility.

But the NCAA is expected to pass legislation that will restore an extra year of eligibility for non-qualifiers who complete their degree requirements within four years.

Williams, who is taking 20 credits this spring, is optimistic he can make the grade.

“I’ll only have eight credits to take in the summer,” he said. “That’s only two classes, so I feel real confident about being able to come back.” Williams was one of 10 players to catch passes during Saturday’s 90-minute scrimmage, which seemed to please Wulff.

“It was much improved, like we expected,” said the first-year coach. “We did some really good things on both sides of the ball. Top to bottom, we made effective strides in the second week of practice.”

Scrimmage notes

The Eagles defense played without starting linebackers Greg Belzer (knee) and Brad Packer (back), but still dominated both the No. 1 and No. 2 offensive units… . Junior James Venters, a projected started at offensive tackle, dislocated his knee cap during practice last week and will miss the rest of spring drills. It was the same knee he injured last fall after starting the first three games. The initial injury required reconstructive surgery… Backup defensive lineman Sam Martin, a 6-3, 235-pound sophomore from Richland went down late in the scrimmage and was clutching at his left ankle while rolling on the ground and groaning in pain. Wulff said it appeared Martin might have broken the ankle and suffered some severe ligament damage as well. … Starting quarterback Fred Salanoa completed eight of 17 passes for 79 yards. Backup Chris Samms hit 6 of 11 for 87 yards and a touchdown. Both threw an interception and Wullf said afterward that the two “are a lot closer than some people might think.” … The Eagles will scrimmage again next Saturday in Woodward Stadium at 10 a.m.