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Frankie Williams was one of the bright spots of last year's defense. While he's not a shutdown corner at the moment he's certainly the closest thing that Purdue has.
Frankie Williams - Sr.
Tampa, Florida (Robinson HS)
5'9", 190 pounds
Defensive Back
2015 Projection: Starter at Cornerback, Punt Returner
Frankie Williams has been a consistent player for Purdue since 2012 with his best season being last season. During the 2014 season Williams earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors. Williams was able to rack up quite a few impressive stats; which isn't always easy as a cornerback. During the season Williams accounted for 74 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, three interceptions including one returned for a touchdown, and seven pass break ups. That's an impressive season. That's not even mentioning the fact that he returns punts. I'm glad to have a guy like him back anchoring the back half of the defense. More than just an anchor though Frankie Williams is a leader.
It's hard to quantify exactly what Williams means to this team. Williams is a leader on and off the field. He shows the young players what it takes to be a starter on a B1G team, he pushes everyone in practice, and is vocal on the field. This is what Purdue needs. During this, ahem, rough transition between Hope and Hazell it's good to have players like Williams who buy into the system and are willing to put in the work. At the end of the year the defense very much could go the way Williams leads them and that fills me with a little bit of hope.