New Nebraska safeties coach Bob Elliott just talked to his wife about it the other day — they’ve moved 18 times to 12 locations in his football coaching career. That’s a lot of coaching jobs and defensive backs Elliott has overseen.
So it ought to mean something that Husker junior safety Aaron Williams sticks out — in a good way — to Elliott. Williams is apparently that sharp needle in a haystack of helmets and shoulder pads.
“Aaron Williams is as smart a player as I’ve ever been around,” Elliott told reporters Tuesday. “He’s grasping things that I never dreamed that a safety could grasp this quickly.”
That’s not necessarily surprising — Williams finished with 62 tackles and three interceptions last season and started as a true freshman in NU’s season opener — but, for a Husker team learning its third defense in four years, it’s important that at least one player — preferably a safety — knows the ins and outs of the scheme quickly. If former Nebraska defensive coordinator Mark Banker and former Husker safety Nate Gerry never quite seemed to be on the same page, Williams, Elliott and new defensive coordinator Bob Diaco appear to be.