ATLANTA — There was a two-out-of-three chance an Alabama player was going to win the Outland Trophy, which is given to the nation’s best interior lineman. There was also a two-out-of-three chance the winner’s last name would be Williams.
Out of the three finalists, both Alabama nose guard Quinnen Williams and Alabama left tackle Jonah Williams made the cut. The defensive Williams ultimately gets to take home the award.
“I know he’s proud of me for winning,” Quinnen Williams said. “And if he had won, I would have been proud of him.Me and him just joked about it and were just saying we just hope it comes back to Alabama.”
The other candidate was Clemson defensive lineman Christian Wilkins.
As the Crimson Tide’s third-leading tackler, Williams has made the most out of fellow defensive linemen with 66 total stops, 18 of which have been for a loss of 85 yards. The 6-foot-4, 295-pound redshirt sophomore has been responsible for 11 quarterback hurries, eight sacks and a pass breakup. He also scored Alabama’s first safety since 2015.
“Oh, I feel good,” Williams said. ”It’s a great opportunity, a great compliment that I have. I’m just proud to be part of the group of guys that won.”
Prior to Williams, Alabama had four players win the Outland Trophy: Chris Samuels (1999), Andre Smith (2008), Barrett Jones (2011) and Cam Robinson (2016). Jones actually presented this year’s award.
Williams takes pride in being a great lineman and is glad there’s an award that recognizes the position, offensively and defensively.
“It starts off in the trenches, every game,” Williams said. “Just like Alabama versus Georgia, it started off in the trenches.”
