Career Accolades:
2023 Honorable Mention All-American (Phil Steele)
2023 First-Team All-SEC (AP, Phil Steele, College Football Network)
2023 Joe Morrison MVP – Defense
2023 Rex Enright Team Captain
Veteran linebacker who earned All-SEC recognition in 2023… downhill linebacker with a nose for the football… aggressive player who loves contact and is an excellent tackler… can diagnose a play and has play-making ability… one of two returning team captains… has played in 38 career games for the Gamecocks with 14 career starts… has logged 162 career tackles including 13.5 tackles for loss with 2.5 sacks, four pass breakups and seven quarterback hurries.

2023 (Redshirt Junior)
Selected as one of six Rex Enright permanent team captains for the 2023 season… named the Joe Morrison MVP for the Defense… earned honorable mention All-America honors from Phil Steele… named first team All-SEC by the Associated Press, Phil Steele and College Football Network… played in and started all 12 games… recording 113 tackles with 9.0 tackles for loss and one sack… his 113 tackles led the team, ranked third in the SEC and was the most recorded by a Gamecock since Jonathan Martin recorded 122 in the 2002 season… led the SEC and ranks 12th in the nation with 67 solo tackles… was second on the squad with 9.0 TFLs… credited with three pass breakups, three quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery… logged double-digits in tackles in seven of 12 games… tallied a career-high and a game-high 14 tackles in the season opener against North Carolina…credited with a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss against Florida… matched his career high with 14 stops at Missouri… scooped up a fumble against Jacksonville State… finished with 11 tackles in the season finale against Clemson.

2022 (Redshirt Sophomore) Linebacker who played in all 13 games, making a pair of starts… racked up 43 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks… also credited with four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked kick… blocked a punt in the win over South Carolina State… made his first start against Missouri and responded with a career-high nine tackles… finished with four tackles and a forced fumble in the win at Vanderbilt… earned his second start at Florida and finished with seven tackles, including 1.5 sacks, the first of his career.

2021 (Redshirt Freshman)
Joined the team in the spring… played in all 13 games, primarily on special teams… blocked two punts in the season-opener versus Eastern Illinois… became the first SEC player to record two blocked punts in a game since Florida’s Chris Rainey in 2010… named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week for his efforts… prior to that contest, the Gamecocks had not blocked a punt since 2014… credited with six tackles, including five solo stops… logged one pass break up… notched a pair of tackles against both Vanderbilt and Texas A&M.

HIGH SCHOOL
Graduated from Smyrna (Del.) High School in 2020… was a four-year starter and two-time team captain for the Eagles… helped his team to a pair of state titles… named the 2019 DIAA Defensive Player of the Year… set school single-season records with 153 tackles, including 32 tackles for loss and eight sacks… racked up nearly 500 career tackles… was a three-time all-state honoree… coached by Mike Judy.

PERSONAL
Darryl Lamar Williams was born May 13, 2002… is a mass communications major who graduated in May of 2024.
South Carolina Defensive Coordinator Clayton White:  “Debo’s work ethic and leadership qualities are what Coach Beamer envisions for our program. Debo is a ‘pro.’ He is the same player and person every day and very productive on the field. He embodies our core values of positive energy, toughness, accountability, and the ability to compete each and every day.”

The recipient of the Defender of the Nation Award will be announced on October 24th from one of the Nation’s (15) military academies and ROTC programs including Air Force Academy, Appalachian State University, Auburn, The Citadel, Coast Guard Academy, Michigan State, Naval Academy, Norwich University, Ole Miss, Texas A&M University, Virginia Tech, VMI, South Carolina, Villanova, and West Point and is based on exceptional leadership qualities on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The recipient must also exhibit a high standard of integrity by leading through example.

In conjunction with the Football Writers Association of America, the 2024 Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet will be held on Monday, December 9th at the Charlotte Convention Center. In addition to honoring the Defender of the Nation Award winner, the banquet will celebrate the recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Legends Award. West Virginia University’s Darryl Talley will be honored as the 2024 Legends Award recipient and University of Missouri Head Football Coach Eliah Drinkwitz  is slated as the keynote speaker.

ABOUT THE CHARLOTTE TOUCHDOWN CLUB
The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, North Carolina region. Since its inception, the club has grown as well as diversified boasting a sponsor team of more than (80) companies. The Club’s activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding Citizenship, Scholarship, Sportsmanship, and Leadership of area athletes and coaches. Through individual and corporate support, more than $3,000,000 has been raised and donated to benefit the Touchdown Club’s scholarship efforts. For more information, contact John Rocco (704-347-2918 or jrocco@touchdownclub.com). The official website of the Charlotte Touchdown Club is touchdownclub.com.