Naperville North’s Kaiser Williams gives nothing away on the football field.
Whether he’s playing linebacker, cornerback or safety, the 6-foot-4, 185-pound senior can make a game frustrating for opponents. Just ask Naperville North senior quarterback Jacob Bell, who has to go against Williams in practice.
“His natural athleticism makes it pretty tough as a quarterback because you look at one side of the field and you see this big, fast, long guy who is going to get to the spot you’re trying to throw it to and pretty much just lock it down,” Bell said. “He’s a smart kid on top of that, so he’s got a lot of good intangibles that are hard to battle as a quarterback.”
Williams may be stingy on the field, but off the field is a different story. The Northern Iowa recruit aspires to become a respiratory therapist.
“I have asthma,” Williams said. “I got it under control a few years ago, and it’s doing pretty good. I really just take my inhaler before a game and take it whenever I need it during a game, and I just keep going.”
Becoming a respiratory therapist is Williams’ way of paying forward the medical care he received.
“That’s just the type of kid he is,” Naperville North coach Sean Drendel said. “He’s got a caring heart. He cares about people, and he values that people cared about him.
“He’s one of those kids that is very happy to be where he’s at and what he’s doing. His history says that he might not be doing that if he didn’t have those people, so there’s some high value to that.”
Indeed, Williams values playing for a tight-knit group that is like a brotherhood.
“The best thing playing here is just really who you’re playing for and who you’re playing with,” he said. “I feel that you really play as a family here, and the players here care about you, the coaches here care about you, and you’re playing more for each other. It’s not like you’re playing your own game for you.”
Williams has plenty of game, and it benefits the Huskies in different ways. As a sophomore, he backed up current Purdue freshman Luke Williams (no relation) at safety. Last season, Kaiser Williams started at outside linebacker for Naperville North (6-4), which qualified for the playoffs for the third year in a row. Now he’s focused on playing cornerback.
“He’s a three-year kid that’s played a lot of games for us, and we’re excited to have him play back there,” Drendel said. “There’s a lot of places he can play, so he’s pretty versatile. We’re trying to find the spot that fits him best and fits our team best. So he’s playing some corner, playing some safety, could play some outside linebacker.”
Given Luke Williams’ graduation, Kaiser Williams could be the king of the secondary, or at least the glue.
“I feel like my strength is really PBUs (pass breakups),” Kaiser Williams said. “I’ve been doing it a lot, and I just really stick on guys a lot in coverage. I’m always right there.”
Bell can attest to that.
“He’s in the right spot,” Bell said. “He does the right thing.”
That includes being a leader for the Huskies, who will start the season with a nonconference game at New Trier on Aug. 30 and make their debut in the new Southwest Valley Blue Conference with a game against Lincoln-Way East on Sept. 20.
“(Williams) is good at encouraging his teammates when they’re down,” Bell said. “We’d like to pull a little bit more noise out of him at times, just get him more excited sometimes. But he’s a good leader by example, and underclassmen definitely follow him.”
Williams chose Northern Iowa even though he probably could have drawn offers from bigger programs had he waited.
“Which is neat in today’s environment, right?” Drendel said. “There’s a lot of kids who would look for the glitz and glam, and that’s not what he’s looking for. He’s looking more for those things that are important.”
What things are important to Williams?
“I like being somewhere where I feel wanted and feel loved,” he said. “At Northern Iowa, they’re a lot about relationships and family. The same feeling I get here, I get up there.”
As one of only three third-year varsity players, Williams is one of the Huskies’ big brothers.
“That feels pretty nice,” he said. “I’ve got a good feel for the game now, and I feel like it’s slowed down for me a lot the past few years. I just want to keep on getting better and keep on getting the younger guys better.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
