Williams Refuses to Go Down-and-Out

Mike Williams will celebrate his 21st birthday on Tuesday when top-ranked USC plays No. 2 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.

But the former Trojan All-American receiver will not be at Pro Player Stadium for the bowl championship series title game. Williams, a Florida native, won’t even venture near the Miami area.

Not with the NFL’s pre-draft process about to kick into high gear.

“This is just kind of the period of time where I disappear for a while and take care of business,” Williams said Friday by phone from Georgia, where he has been training for the Feb. 23 scouting combine. “Miami would be a good place to spend my birthday and see the guys and the game, but partying is not what it’s about for me right now.

“It’s not worth taking a few steps back and sacrificing a few days for what I want to achieve. Right now, it’s get the job done and celebrate later.”

Williams plans to celebrate on April 23, the first day of the NFL draft.

He has been pointing to that day since August when the NCAA denied USC’s request to reinstate his eligibility just as the Trojans departed Los Angeles for their season opener against Virginia Tech.

Williams, who caught 176 passes -- including a school-record 30 touchdown passes -- in two seasons, had dropped out of school, hired an agent and announced he was turning pro last February.

Williams made his decision in the wake of a district-court victory over the NFL by former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ultimately overturned the decision, casting Williams into limbo.

Williams, who severed professional ties with his agent and attended summer classes at USC in an attempt to regain his college eligibility, was at ease when the NCAA’s decision came down.

He began fall-semester classes at USC, but in mid-November decided it was time to maximize his opportunity. He left Los Angeles and, after a brief stop to visit his family in Tampa, Fla., headed to a training complex in Georgia, where he had slimmed down and worked himself into top shape last year before the appeals court ruled in April that federal labor policy allowed the NFL to determine when players could enter the league.

Asked if he wished his initial foray into professional football had turned out differently, Williams laughed heartily.

“It’s bowl week, I can’t still be complaining,” he said.

A moment later, he turned serious.

“I have no regrets because I think about where I am now as a player and a person,” he said. “I’ve matured. I’ve been through some things.

“Last April, I wasn’t where I am now. Who knows how that [draft] could have went for me.... I think of it as kind of a blessing in disguise.”

USC Coach Pete Carroll said that after the NCAA declined USC’s reinstatement request, Williams distanced himself from the program, “in a real classy fashion,” so as not to take the limelight from the players hoping to fill his shoes.

But Carroll regrets that Williams lost a season of competition.

“I’m sick about the fact that he missed playing this year,” Carroll said Thursday. “I think he only could have bettered himself by doing that, and the decisions that were made didn’t allow for that to happen, so I’ll always feel bad about that because I failed at making it clear to him that this would happen the way it did.

“On the other side of it, he’s going to make the best of it and have a chance to play in the league, and he’ll do well with it and somebody is going to get a heck of a football player.”

USC players said this week that Williams’ influence still permeated a passing game and program that flourished despite his absence.

Sophomore flanker Steve Smith said he spoke to Williams on Wednesday.

“He tells me to stay focused, watch the film and be ready,” Smith said. “Mike is always going to be in our minds. In our wideout [meeting] room, we always talk about Mike and all the little stuff he did. He set the bar high.”

Freshman receiver Dwayne Jarrett said Williams advised him about handling inevitable comparisons between the two. Sophomore receiver Chris McFoy said Williams taught him how to shake off mistakes and remain confident.

Lane Kiffin, USC’s receivers coach, said Williams was “still helping us in recruiting,” because he proved that an out-of-state player could make an immediate impact for the Trojans.

“Getting Dwayne Jarrett here had a lot to do with Mike because he saw the success,” said Kiffin, who recruited both players. “So he’s a big part of the program.”

Williams said he has enjoyed watching from afar as the receiving corps matured into a reliable unit and Reggie Bush developed into a Heisman Trophy finalist.

“Me not playing opened some opportunities for other guys,” he said. “Toward the fourth or fifth game I think they really started to get it. It started to be about them.... They had their own identity.”

As a freshman in 2002, Williams helped quarterback Carson Palmer win the Heisman Trophy. He said he was not surprised that Matt Leinart won the Heisman this year without him or all-time receptions leader Keary Colbert in the lineup.

“He had everything he needed,” Williams said. “A big media base with a supporting cast that maybe wasn’t as stellar as last year but a group that showed up week in and week out.”

Williams laughed when asked if he could have won the Heisman.

“Receivers don’t get their credit,” he said. “You could catch 110 balls and score 20 touchdowns and people would still say, ‘The quarterback completed 110 passes for 20 touchdowns.’ ”

Williams anticipates a close Orange Bowl game between the Trojans and Oklahoma. USC’s defensive line and secondary will be key, he said, but the Trojan receivers also must make plays.

“It’s going to be fun to watch,” he said. “I’ll be rooting them on.”