NORMAN — For Oklahoma’s defense to reach its potential in 2025, the health of cornerback Gentry Williams needs to be at the top of the checklist.

Williams, a fourth-year junior from Tulsa, has seemingly limitless potential when he’s on the field and healthy.

But Williams has missed time due to injury in each of his three seasons as a Sooner, including 11 games last year after his recurring shoulder dislocation limited him to just two games.

Williams might be the Sooners’ fastest player, and at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, he has an adequate frame to compete in the SEC. What makes him stand out, however, are his uncanny reaction time and his long arms, allowing him to stick with receivers and make plays on the football.

Williams has played in just 24 games in his career, however, with just 12 starts. He’s at a place now where he needs to play in games and develop the kind of instincts through experience that can elevate him to elite status.

Williams’ reps in spring practice this month have been restricted — he’s been withheld from contact whenever possible — but he’s back on the field after multiple surgeries in back-to-back years.

“I feel really good,” Williams said Tuesday after practice. “You know, every day is a new challenge. But I feel amazing. I’m grateful for this opportunity. I feel great and I’m ready for the season when it comes.”

When Brent Venables got the Oklahoma job in December 2021, literally the first recruit he saw after getting off the plane in Norman was Williams. As the former defensive coordinator at Clemson, Venables knew of Williams’ reputation as a dynamic and versatile talent. Williams had committed to OU two months earlier, so keeping a player this good in-state was certainly one priority. Re-engaging the community and the culture at Tulsa Washington was another.

Williams was the top high school recruit in Oklahoma in that 2022 class, and he was the No. 11 cornerback in the country despite coming off a knee injury his junior year. 

Williams said he’s felt that love from Venables during the last three years, as well as from cornerbacks coach Jay Valai and the rest of the defensive staff. Being Venables’ very first recruiting priority made an impact on him.

“Yeah, we’ve had conversations about that,” Williams said. “He talks about my Booker T days, about me playing every position, quarterback — everything but corner, basically. So we joke about that. But (I’ve) been grateful to have him and Coach Valai — basically the whole defensive staff has been here since I’ve been here. So that’s been amazing.”

Williams played in 12 games as a true freshman but miss the bowl game. He made 10 starts as a sophomore in 2023, but missed three games with the shoulder. He had it repaired last winter, but then hurt it again in the season opener last year. He tried to come back the following week but fell on it on the first play of the game and was lost for the season after just 18 total snaps.

Williams played 399 total snaps in 2023, including 329 as a wide corner, per Pro Football Focus. He got in for 250 snaps in 2022, mostly on special teams but also got 54 of his 59 defensive snaps at wide corner.

In his 2023 season as a full-time and healthy corner, Williams was thrown at 39 times and opposing receivers caught 26 passes (66.7 percent) for 286 yards (11.0 yards per catch with just one touchdown.

Iowa State hit him for a 67-yard TD, but he also had an interception that game — one of three on the season. He gave up just two other receptions of 20 yards or more all season.

Williams knows he needs to be better at the art of tackling — he missed 11 tackles during his 2023 season, or 26.8 percent, per PFF — but that’s a hard thing to work on with a trick shoulder. 

One thing Williams knows for sure is that he doesn’t want to sit out again this year. He struggled with missing so much time last year until he realized he could contribute by being the best teammate he could be.

“Obviously it’s tough,” he said, “but it’s a team sport and I still wanted to be there for my guys. Like RJ (Robert Spears-Jennings), he had an excellent season. Gracen Halton had an excellent season. So taking what I went through and my struggles, but let somebody else understand that they had great seasons, and living through them and seeing them shine, man, it made it a lot better for me going through those tough times.”

He’s leaned heavily on Spears-Jennings, his best friend from Tulsa and a fellow freshman DB in the 2022 class.

“That’s my brother,” Williams said. “Words can’t even explain how thankful I am on and off the field. Man, he’s been there for me throughout everything in my life. He’s been there every step of the way. So when I had that surgery and I came back to the house — I had the surgery in Tulsa — and when I came back, he was just screaming, ‘G-Dub! G-Dub!’ So it was like a moment we had. Seeing his success this (past) year was amazing. It felt like I had success. So it was great.”

And through the difficult times, Williams also leaned on Venables and Valai.

“You know, Coach Venables, he’s been on my side throughout everything,” Williams said. “I do applaud him. I’m thankful to him that he’s gonna continue to give me this opportunity to be out here and play with the team. That’s the biggest thing, I want to continue to play with them. And he’s been a very great support system, him and Coach Valai have been very supportive, and I appreciate that. I really do.”

And of course, Williams has leaned most of all on his family for their support.

“Amazing. That’s my rock,” he said. “I do it for them. That’s the reason I’m still out here (and) keep going, my dad and my mom and my little sister. Everybody. Words can not explain how grateful I am, and I will keep going for them.”

Williams will take it slow the rest of this spring and probably throughout summer workouts, and he may even stay somewhat cautious when training camp rolls around in August. 

But come September, Williams will be all in, full contact and full throttle. That’s the only way this game can be played.

“Just stay true to who I am,” he said, “trusting God, trusting Coach Valai, trusting Coach Venables and trusting my teammates that I’m gonna be who I am and show them every day. You know, I gotta prove to them and gain their trust every single day. That’s just what I want to do. I’ve been through things, but God has got a plan for me and I’m gonna keep going.”