BOZEMAN, Montana — In September of 2014, Amandre Williams put an assault on the Washington high school record for passing yards in a single game. The Tahoma High (Covington) junior completed 35-of-47 passes for 580 yards and five touchdowns that Friday night five years ago. The outburst set the South Puget Sound League single-game record and is the second-most in the history of the Evergreen State.
His senior year, Williams led the SPSL with 3,235 yards passing and threw 29 touchdown passes.
Yet when you watch Williams’ high school highlight film, the entire reel includes play after play of the fluid, smooth edge rusher destroying opposing offensive linemen and wreaking havoc in opponents’ backfields. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder piled up 79 tackles and 17.5 tackles for loss as a senior, earning a ranking as the No. 6 recruit in the state of Washington and the No. 55 defensive end recruit in the country according to 247sports.com.
Williams chose the University of Washington over offers from Oregon, California, Utah, Boise State, Northwestern and Vanderbilt. But in Seattle, he could never crack the rotation or do what he does best: rush the passer.
“I love rushing the passer and that’s what I came here to do,” said Williams, now a fourth-year junior at Montana State after transerring to MSU last December. “I get to do that a lot in the Buck position. That’s what I enjoy the most and that’s what I’m the best at.
“At Washington, I was playing a different position, dropping into more coverage. Here, it’s about getting after the quarterback.”