Tag: Avantae Williams

Miami's Jaylan Knighton spreads his arms as he swooped into the end zone easily after a 50-plus yard TD run against the Cards during the Louisville-Miami game Saturday night. Sept. 19, 2020 Louisville Vs Miami 2020

Miami suspends RB Jaylan Knighton, TE Larry Hodges

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Miami backup running back Jaylan Knighton received a four-game suspension and tight end Larry Hodges was banned two games for team rules violations on Saturday.

Earlier this week, Hurricanes suspended safety Avantae Williams on the same day he was reinstated after battery charges against him were dropped. Head coach Manny Diaz said the second-year freshman will not play in the Hurricanes’ first six games.

Knighton rushed for 209 yards and a touchdown and had 11 receptions for 135 yards and a score last season.

Donald Chaney Jr. is expected to receive more playing time behind starting running back Cam’Ron Harris in Saturday’s season opener against No. 1 Alabama.

Hodges has totaled three catches for one yard and two touchdowns over the last two seasons.

Williams, 20, was dismissed from the team on July 22 after being arrested and charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant victim.

The case was closed last month when the woman, referred to in court documents as Williams’ ex-girlfriend, recanted parts of her story.

Williams, a consensus four-star recruit from DeLand, Fla., was ranked as the nation’s No. 1 safety by Rivals and ESPN in the Class of 2020. He sat out last season due to an unspecified medical issue.

–Field Level Media

Oct 26, 2019; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Miami Hurricanes helmets sit on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. Miami won 16-12. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Miami S Avantae Williams reinstated, to sit 6 weeks

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Miami reinstated suspended safety Avantae Williams after battery charges against him were dropped.

Head coach Manny Diaz said the second-year freshman will not play in the Hurricanes’ first six games.

No. 14 Miami opens the season Saturday against No. 1 Alabama. The team’s seventh game is at home against NC State on Oct. 23.

Williams, 20, was dismissed from the team on July 22 after being arrested and charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant victim.

The case was closed earlier this month when the woman, referred to in court documents as Williams’ ex-girlfriend, recanted parts of her story.

Diaz said Williams’ six-game absence will give him time to get back into shape. He also must meet certain benchmarks in “education, mentorship and personal development” before he can play.

“Our role is to make the best Avantae Williams we possibly can and that’s why, again, we gave him the avenue back,” Diaz told reporters in a Zoom call Monday. “There are some things that we want him to be able to accomplish that we think will help him and, again, by helping him, that ultimately helps us as a football program.”

Williams, a consensus four-star recruit from DeLand, Fla., was ranked as the nation’s No. 1 safety by Rivals and ESPN in the Class of 2020. He sat out last season due to an unspecified medical issue.

–Field Level Media

Oct 26, 2019; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Miami Hurricanes helmets sit on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. Miami won 16-12. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Miami S Avantae Williams suspended after arrest

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Miami Hurricanes suspended redshirt freshman safety Avantae Williams on Thursday after he was arrested and charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant victim.

Williams, a consensus four-star recruit from DeLand, Fla., was ranked as the nation’s No. 1 safety by Rivals and ESPN in the Class of 2020. He sat out last season due to an unspecified medical issue.

According to public records, Williams, 20, was arrested by the Miami-Dade Police Department on Wednesday and jailed on a $10,000 bond.

Williams was arrested after an argument with his child’s mother, who is also pregnant with his baby, according to a police report obtained by the Miami Herald.

The couple had broken up and Williams allegedly told the woman to move out of their residence. “When I return from practice you need to be gone,” he told her, per the report. When he returned and she was still packing, he allegedly grabbed her by the hair and threw her onto a bed. Police said he grabbed her by the hair a second time and threw her outside the home, causing her to strike her head on the ground.

A neighbor called 911 and Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue transported the woman to West Kendall Hospital, where she reportedly had “multiple bruises to her arms,” a bruise on her neck and two broken fingernails.

“He was immediately suspended from all team activities,” said Camron Ghorbi, Miami’s assistant athletic director for communications.

The Hurricanes, coming off an 8-3 season in 2020, open the 2021 campaign against defending national champion Alabama on Sept. 4 in Atlanta.

–Field Level Media