CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: ALABAMA VS GEORGIA

January 5, 2022

Jameson Williams

Lucas Oil Stadium

Alabama Crimson Tide

Press Conference

Q. When Metchie went out after the first half in the SEC Championship game, how did that affect how Georgia defended you?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: I wouldn't say it affected us. I guess they tried to play a little over the top. That's all we've seen. We've seen some extra defenses. That was pretty much it, though, a little extra over the top.

Q. When you were talking to Alabama and looking for a new school, what was their big selling point to go there?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: That I would be an excellent add-on to the offense, and as the season went on, we kind of all seen how I was used in the offense and everything. Complimented me, complimented the other receivers. We all just came together and we had a great offense this year.

Q. I know we've asked you a lot about celebrations this year. But I don't know if you've seen other student-athletes around campus or guys in the NFL doing the crane kick. And now on Twitter people are starting to put emojis in their user names. What has that craze meant to you as the guy that's been kind of the leader of that?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: It's exciting seeing that. I like seeing it -- I just went on there earlier and I was, like, what's this? But it's exciting seeing things like that, showing how the Alabama family is behind you and how we're all together and everything. It's just exciting to see things like that.

Q. I know you've gotten a lot of support from Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson back at Ohio State. I know he was at the championship game. And I see Brian Hartline tweets supportive things about you. What's it been like for you to continue to get support from those guys that you played with at Ohio State?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: It's great getting loves from my brothers. I talk to those guys almost every day, Chris, Garrett, Jackson. I talk to those guys every day. Ever since I left we've had a stronger relationship, even though I had a strong one there. We keep in touch every day, call, text each other, see how it's going.

It's great having that relationship with those guys because we're not with each other every day anymore. So it's great keeping that relationship.

Q. You said you saw more over-the-top coverage from Georgia in that second half. How does that affect you how does it change what you do, or what does it mean for your style of play with your speed?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: I don't think it affects us in any ways. I feel we will have plans to get around it. But it's something that we just have to work on this week in practice and game plan for it this week. Hopefully we get to the game Monday and everything works out well.

Q. Can you describe what your experience was like at Ohio State that led you to decide that it was time to find a new place?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: The experience, everything went well. I just felt like it was time for me to make a decision for myself. And things just -- I entered the portal, and just ended up being at Alabama. And things went well.

Q. Obviously I know with you guys it's very consistent when it comes to how you prep for each and every game, but what are some of the challenges that you face whenever you're having a rematch with a rival like Georgia?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: It's going to be a very good challenge. I'm pretty sure all those guys will come twice as hard as the first game. We have to play a lot better than the first game, a lot better than the last game. We've got to go out and play our best football this game.

I'm looking forward to a great game, national championship. Looking for everybody to bring their best. We just play great football and hopefully we come out on top.

Q. Can you describe the process of transferring schools? And can you describe what advice you can give to maybe some younger kids looking up to you that would need some advice, maybe, if they're wanting to transfer schools and maybe end up as successful as you are?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: I'm here to talk about the championship game. Can we stay off the focus of the transfer portal, please?

Q. How do you think the fact that you're playing these guys a second time in a month will impact both teams? Does it impact one team more so than it does the other?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: I wouldn't say because I feel like it's a lot of pressure on both teams. It's a lot of pressure on those guys to get the W. It's a lot of pressure on us to beat a team two times.

So I feel like we both have real good mindsets coming into this game. I'm looking forward to a game on Monday building up with the intensity and everything that's been said and going on.

Q. Coach O'Brien was saying what really makes you stand out is that you're super competitive, like in practice, every moment. Can you take me back to when you first realized you were competitive and why you care? Where does that come from?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: I would say it's just the way I was raised. Me, my dad, my brothers, we competed with everything we did. Even my sister competed with us. We always wanted to be first, first one up the steps, first one in a workout.

As we started playing sports we just branched off into our different age groups but we always still wanted to be first. We just had that mentality to be first. So I guess my competitiveness was built as a kid and it just came with me all the way to this day.

Q. A lot of talk about the challenge of this rematch but what possibly is the benefit? Because obviously we're looking at the conference championship, you guys have much more extra time to prepare. This is a much tighter window getting ready for this national championship. But where do you see some benefit of getting a team that you're used to? We've talked a lot about the challenges of facing a team again, the same team in the national championship, the SEC Championship, but what may be some of the benefits with such a short period of time to prepare for such a game?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: The benefit could be we've seen these guys before. We have to prepare for the little wrinkles and the corrections they made and we can just play great football off of them.

Q. How have you seen Ja'Corey Brooks step up with Metchie being out? How has he taken on a larger role and really embraced that?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: I would say Ja'Corey, he stepped up before Metchie went out. You seen in the Auburn game when I couldn't play he stepped up. He made a big play, had a real big play then. And the SEC Championship, Metchie went out. He played real good ball in the SEC Championship.

Last game he made a big play, scored a touchdown. I would say Ja'Corey, he's doing excellent right now. He's a real good ball player. And I think you guys are going to see very much more from him in his coming days.

Q. You're somewhat new to the Georgia-Alabama thing, but I think this is the fifth time they've played in the last few years. Alabama has owned it to this point. But what have you learned kind of about the whole Georgia -Alabama thing? Do you appreciate it more now than when you first showed up?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: I would say it's a couple games like this that we treat this way now that me being here a full year we had a couple of games like this. But we have the same mentality for every game. We want to go out and dominate and get the job done, really.

Q. When you were at Ohio State what were the biggest things you feel you learned from Brian Hartline there? And what do you feel are the biggest things you've learned since moving on to Alabama that made you an even better player?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: Moving to Alabama, I would say I learned to always go hard, even harder than when I went -- I'm a real good competitor, but being around guys like this and guys on the team, on the defense, are forcing me to bring out way more than I ever had with these practices and how things go. So I would say I learned to go way harder than I ever did, really, coming to Alabama.

Q. Talk about your relationship with your quarterback. He won the Heisman Trophy. What do you guys work on to make yourself better in each and every game?

JAMESON WILLIAMS: We kind of go through practice and we work on a lot of timing on routes. How this route is going to be seen through this defense, the steps on this route, when to look on this route, the leverage, how to do a lot of things. So me and Bryce, we have a strong relationship. It's kind of been like that since the summer when I came in, we started working together.

Since then we built a real strong relationship, and now it's just the same. It's just way stronger than it was, because we just day-by-day we get closer together and everything. So I would say we have a pretty strong relationship.