Ft. Lauderdale, FL— Coming into April’s National Middle School Invitational Showcase, the nation’s premier off-season showcase, there were several highly touted young men in the 8th grade class of 2020. DeLand, Florida’s Avantae Williams was certainly one of them. Williams came to the event holding an offer from the University of Florida as only an 8th grader. He’s a tremendous athlete and displayed his talent at defensive back throughout the entire competition.
On day one at the University of Miami, Williams drew rave reviews from coaches who were on hand to watch the 2020 class work out on the football practice fields on campus. Head coach Mark Richt and his entire coaching staff were on hand to watch all the members of the National Middle School Invitational Showcase work out, including Williams.
Williams took advantage, impressing in one on one workouts and by running a 4.80 laser 40 time as confirmed by the speed and agility company, Fast Twitch Miami who compiled the results. He also jumped a 9’2 broad jump, threw a 25 foot power toss and jump 29.7 vertical while logging a 4.90 pro agility shuttle.
After the first day of workouts at Miami, Williams was invited up and spent one on one time with assistant coach of the safeties, Ephraim Banda. Afterward, Banda and Williams posed in front of a photograph on the University of Miami Greentree practices fields of Sean Taylor, the deceased safety that many call one of the greatest to play the position.
To cap off the experience, Williams was awarded the Top Skill Player in America award by Football Hotbed as a result of his performance at the National Middle School Invitational Showcase. Williams thus becomes the first ever recipient of the award that is meant to honor the best non-QB skill athlete in the country attending the event. Over 300 nominations for the event were submitted and out of those, Football Hotbed selected 23 QBs and only 20 skill players for the 2020 class. Only four of them were defensive backs and Williams shinned as the brightest among all the stars.
Blessed to say that I am now the best player in the nation in the class of 2020
— Tae Williams #7 (@SlowDownBoy7) April 30, 2016
@SlowDownBoy7 dazzled with his hair and his skills @FootballHotbed pic.twitter.com/VlxXPujfM0
— Chris Circo (@BattleCEO) May 3, 2016
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