SAN JOSE, Calif. — Jonah Williams smiled and softly smacked the chair next to him with his knuckles.
After 14 games without allowing a sack, the Alabama offensive tackle doesn’t want to jinx his good fortune.
“Knock on wood, man,” he said.
The consensus top-10 pick in the upcoming NFL draft will have his hands full in Monday’s national championship game, facing Clemson’s dynamic defensive ends Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant. The two upperclassmen have together produced 19.5 sacks, making a habit out of beating offensive linemen.
“It’s a lot of pressure, but it’s not the first time I faced pressure, that we faced pressure,” said Williams, a 6-foot-5, 301-pound junior. “We played a lot of big games, we played a lot of good defensive ends.”
It hasn’t mattered. Williams, described by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as a “silent assassin,” has been up to the task every week.
“Obviously when you play for a program like Clemson you want to play against the best, and he’s considered the best,” said Ferrell, another projected top-10 pick. “I want to have a great showing come Monday night. It’s going to be a tough challenge.
“Just a really, really good player, quick, athletic, strong. He really checks all the boxes what you want in an offensive lineman.”
Williams is a favorite of Alabama coach Nick Saban, who gushed about his work ethic, intelligence and determination. Williams credited his work habits for his development, understanding how important every aspect of preparation is. One bad day, he said, might not hurt you at the time, but down the road it will. He treats everything — treatment, weight-lifting, film study, practices and games — like it’s the most important activity he will do. One slip-up could lead more down the line.
“An an [offensive] lineman or a [defensive back], you give up one big play you suck,” he said.
Williams seemed most excited about being back home. He attended Folsom (Calif.) High School, a two-hour drive from Santa Clara and Levi’s Stadium, and hasn’t been back recently, now that his parents have moved to Florida. His favorite part of the trip so far has been a visit to In-N-Out Burger.
“That was something that I’ve wanted to do for two years,” Williams said. “I tried to order for everyone, because they don’t know how to order. There’s an art to it. You have to know the secret menu.”
Apparently preventing sacks isn’t the only thing Jonah Williams has mastered.