The electrifying evolution of Miami’s James Williams to be tested by No. 17 Pittsburgh

The evolution of former five-star, national safety phenom James Williams is progressing at a dizzying pace — even faster than he expected it to in his freshman season.

While University of Miami fans were clamoring for the 6-5, 224-pound newcomer out of Plantation American Heritage to get on the field immediately, Williams said he was repeatedly told by coaches to “stay ready — you never know what’s going to happen.’’

Sure enough, starting redshirt junior safety Bubba Bolden got ejected for targeting early in the opener against defending champion and then-No. 1 Alabama, which led to increased roles for Williams and fellow freshman Kamren Kinchens. Williams played in an impressive 24 snaps against Alabama, and finished with two tackles and half a tackle for loss.

Now, Bolden is out for the season with a shoulder injury, and Williams and Kinchens will start together for the first time this season when UM (3-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) travels to No. 17 Pitt (6-1, 3-0). After seven games, Williams has 18 tackles, one interception, a tackle for loss — and a more-than-promising future.

“I learned that a lot of things happen quick,’’ Williams said Wednesday in a Zoom interview. “You don’t know what could happen in any situation of the game. People get hurt, people go down and you come in quick. And you start for the rest of the season, as you can see. It has been tough, hard adapting, but I’m here for it.’’

First career interception

Williams has been starting since Sept. 25, when he got his first career interception against FCS member Central Connecticut State. He’s had some growing pains along the way, but also has shown how dominant and physical and gifted he is on nearly every play. He towers above most of the other players, and competes with seemingly unlimited energy and intense emotion.

He electrifies the crowd with arm-waving and fist-pumping, and seems to be continually near the ball.

In UM’s 38-17 loss on Sept. 18 to Michigan State, which is still undefeated (7-0) and now ranked eighth, Williams saved a touchdown by furiously sprinting down the sideline to drag down Michigan State receiver Tre Mosley after a 51-yard gain. Mosley’s long gain occurred because then-starting safety Gurvan Hall had mistakenly engaged the blocker on the screen pass instead of going for Mosley.

Alas, Williams committed a penalty with a horse-collar tackle on the play, but still saved the touchdown and the Spartans would up missing a subsequent field-goal attempt. Williams’ future starting career was cemented.

Learning moments

But there have also been learning moments, such as when Williams could have stopped North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell from scoring on a 30-yard touchdown run in an eventual 45-42 UNC victory. Instead, Williams tried to stop Howell with his shoulder. Howell ran right through Williams’ attempt to make it 38-24 in the third quarter. The game got out of hand and so did Williams’ emotions, as he was flagged for multiple personal fouls.

“I have trouble emotionally when I’m on the field,’’ Williams said. “I have to settle down and focus on the game and not the extra things that happen outside of plays. I gotta focus on what I gotta do and get it done.

“And as far as the shoulder tackle, we all make mistakes. That was one of my biggest mistakes of the game. I regret it. Every time I go to sleep, it’s haunted me. I see it. I see that missed tackle. I’ll never forget that play.”

UM coach Manny Diaz is clearly enamored of Williams, but said Wednesday that Williams emotionally “is so fired up during the games [that] he’s got to learn to control himself a little bit.”

“He’s had some penalties, some postsnap penalties. I Felt like he was better at that last Saturday night and that will start to grow as he understands how to ride the emotional highs and lows of the game because he’s such a high competitor.

‘Gotten better’ weekly

“In terms of his growth, it’s been interesting to see, going back to his first scrimmage where he was a little tentative, which is not unusual for a young guy. And then the second scrimmage it got better and then he had some opportunities to get in the Bama game and looked at home there. It didn’t seem too big for him.

“...He’s gotten better every week. But the key always when you have young guys playing is they have to continue to improve because they can get in the game and they can be satisfied with their early success. And normally in this sport, like in all things, when you become satisfied with your success the humbling is coming. James is aware of that.”

When asked about his new responsibilities with fellow freshman Kinchens (20 tackles, a pass breakup and forced fumble in seven games), Williams said the two discussed it “all week’’ and that they know they must “communicate” and “stay together as one back there.’’

Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett (168 of 244 for 2,236 yards for 23 touchdowns, with one interception) is a fifth-year senior who is third nationally in points responsible for per game (22.3 average), fourth in passing touchdowns and fifth in total offense (347.3 yards a game) among his many top-10 rankings.

“This is going to be our first time playing a full game together,’’ Williams said. “So we’ve got to communicate, stay on task, stay focused and get the job done [and do] what we need to do to win this football game.’’