No.63 Honoree Michael Williams Bleeds Green And Gold
September 02, 2026 | Football
GAME 1: Bulls vs. FIUย ย ย ย Title sponsor: Power Design
Raymond James Stadium (65,000) โข Tampa, Fla. โข Saturday, Sept. 5 โข 7:00 PM
TV: ESPN+ - Play-by-Play: AJ Ricketts, Analyst: Patrick Murray, Sideline: Maria Trivelpiece
RADIO: Q105FM/Bulls Unlimited (digital) - Play-by-Play: Jim Lighthall, Analyst: Sam Barrington, Sideline: Joey Johnston
Giveaway: 30th Anniversary Branded Rally Towels (first 10,000 fans)
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GAME NOTES
For University of South Florida defensive end Michael Williams II, the journey has been filled with injury-fueled frustration. Back in his Michigan high-school days, he tore both ACLs. At South Florida, he has suffered a litany of serious physical woes โ a lower back that caused a pinched nerve, a compartment syndrome in his leg, a shoulder that required surgery.
He's still here, and his impact is felt.
"Being resilient is important,'' said Williams, a fifth-year player and a veteran of 34 college games. "There have been ups and downs, but lots of great memories. Now you see light at the end of the tunnel. I've seen every kind of season you could imagine. Now I'd like to experience a championship.''
Williams will be a key member of the Bulls, led by first-year head coach Brian Hartline, who begin the program's 30th season in Saturday night's opener against the FIU Panthers at Raymond James Stadium.
Williams (6-foot-3, 260 pounds) was selected as this season's Lee Roy Selmon honoree and he will wear a No. 63 uniform patch that shows the likeness of the former USF athletic director.
"I don't think there's an honor that could have been better for me,'' Williams said. "This award is telling me that I'm one of the pillars and someone that the team counts on. Honestly, knowing that the team looks to me as someone who's a big part of bringing everybody together for the success we're about to have, it means a lot to me.''
That legacy is experienced daily for student-athletes who train at the Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center. Selmon, the inaugural draft pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was a Pro Football Hall of Famer, College Football Hall of Famer and Academic All-America Hall of Famer. In 1993, after being hired at USF, Selmon became the face of the school's football ambitions.
As was the case last season with initial honoree Josh Celiscar, Williams was selected based on the criteria of integrity, leadership, athletic achievement, academic excellence and service to others โ all qualities that reflected Selmon's distinguished life (he died in 2011 at age 56).
"Mike Williams is South Florida football, through and through,'' Hartline said. "If you were to cut him open, it would be green and gold coming out.''
Williams and safety Tavin Ward are the only players remaining from the 2022 season, when the Bulls went 1-11 and USF's Indoor Performance Facility was completed.ย
"Tavin and I are the only ones here who know what Tampa has been like for five years,'' Williams said. "I've seen the good. I've seen the bad. I've seen the pretty. I've definitely seen the ugly. South Florida has changed me and it has genuinely made me who I am right now.
"When he (Hartline) says I bleed green and gold, I'm genuinely one of the people who's going to fight with every thread that I have. I know what it's like to have it. I've lost it (playing time due to injuries) here. I've gotten it back here. I know what it feels like to not have it. And I want it really bad.''
Williams said he relishes being one of the "old heads.''
Teammates call him "Unc'' (as in Uncle) or OG (Original Guy), maybe even Double-OG. When a leader of South Florida's Herd of Thunder band visited to teach new players the USF fight song, she looked at Williams and said, "Oh, I've seen you before. I've seen you for a few years.''ย
"We do have a lot of new faces in our program,'' Williams said. "I guess I'm a familiar face.''
And a comforting presence for those new players.
"If you were to give me one name that defines what it means to be a USF Bull, I would think of no other person but Mike Williams,'' said offensive lineman Caleb Cook, a transfer from Georgia Southern who was voted as one of USF's six team captains. "He's one of the guys who has built this foundation for us to go even higher. He is this program. If you've ever spent five minutes with him, you know exactly how it feels to be loved, to be energized, to be embraced โฆ everything like that. He has always been there.''
And regardless of the adversity, Williams said he has always found a way back.
After the back-to-back torn ACL injuries, Williams became a four-star recruit and had a program-record 23.5 sacks as a senior for West Bloomfield High School, the highest sack total for a Michigan prep player in 16 years.
At USF, as he battled through assorted injuries, Williams has made several splash plays on the defensive line. None were bigger than his late fourth quarter, third-and-1 stop on a San Jose State running back at the 2024 Hawaii Bowl. That allowed the Bulls to regain possession and tie the game, which they won in five overtimes.
Williams is hoping for more big plays this season.
"It's almost surreal because when I (first) got here and was doing the workouts, it just didn't seem like it would ever end,'' Williams said. "When I first got here, being honest, we weren't the most together group up front. We were great friends, but on the field, it didn't seem like we had the best camaraderie.
"One thing I noticed about (Lee Roy Selmon) was his ability to bring people together. As I've slowly been able to see, the older guys are really the ones who have to build those relationships. Being an older guy now, I see that the relationships that I'm building with my team are carrying us so much further. Lee Roy was the same way. He carried his teams through a lot. He was a mentor for younger guys and that's really something I'm trying to be for my team.''
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Joey Johnston
Athletics Senior Writer
