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"They said, 'Hey, do you want to get back in it? We're looking for a sideline reporter,'" Williams said. "I was geeked about the opportunity and I said, 'Of course.' Every week, just going to be up there and doing something that I love." Working alongside Steve Jones and Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Ham, Williams is helping call the Nittany Lions' 2016 football season for the Penn State Sports Network. The games air on 60 radio stations in Pennsylvania and several adjoining states and can also be heard via an online stream. Williams brings a veteran player's ex- perience to his new role as sideline re- porter. He was named the top prospect in the Class of 2005 by Rivals.com and was a first-team All-Big Ten performer and second-team Walter Camp and Sporting News All-American in 2008. Chosen in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft by Detroit, he played two sea- sons with the Lions before being waived in 2011. He was picked up by Pittsburgh the following year but was released be- fore the start of the regular season, bringing an end to his NFL career. Although he has some broadcasting experience, Williams has never done the kind of work he's doing now. But as he explained before the season began, his goal is to share his insights whenever he can. "I think mostly I'll be reporting on the atmosphere, some things that might be seen from a different level, like team chemistry, or some of my thoughts on how the guys are adjusting to the game, big swings in the game," Williams said. "I think those are some of the things that you can see from the sideline. You Derrick Williams is often celebrated as the recruit whose commitment to Penn State sent a message to other prospects about the program's continuing vitality and heralded the Nittany Lions' return to college football's upper echelon after four losing seasons in five years. But his signing in February 2005 was only the beginning of his impact on the Nittany Lion program. Williams also had a num- ber of thrilling moments on the field during his four years on campus. Here are his three favorites: 1 PENN STATE vs. OHIO STATE Oct. 8, 2005 This game will live on in the memories of the 109,839 fans who packed into Beaver Stadium on a misty Saturday night. Pitting the No. 6 Buckeyes against an upstart Nittany Lion team that was 5- 0 and ranked 16th in the country, a fren- zied crowd watched as true freshmen Williams and Justin King made their mark alongside veterans such as Michael Robinson, Alan Zemaitis and Tamba Hali. Penn State prevailed, 17-10, thanks in large part to a 13-yard touchdown run by Williams on a pitch play in the second quarter. "It felt like my soul came out of my body, and I really wasn't even playing," Williams recalled. "I was just in awe of everything that was going on. It was probably the craziest game of my career. "I scored a touchdown, but I mean, the touchdown wasn't the big thing. The big thing was just being in that atmosphere. I think that was the craziest game that I experienced through my whole college career." 2 PENN STATE vs. MICHIGAN STATE Nov. 22, 2008 Tied atop the Big Ten standings head- ing into the final weekend of the regular season, the seventh-ranked Nittany Lions were poised to assure themselves of a trip to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1994. But first they needed to defeat the No. 17 Spartans at Beaver Sta- dium. Williams played a key role in the game, his final appearance in Beaver Stadium. After an Anthony Scirrotto interception late in the second quarter, Williams caught a 32-yard touchdown pass on the first play of Penn State's possession, giving the Lions a 28-0 lead. By the end of the third quarter, that lead had swelled to 42-7, and Penn State coasted to a 49-18 victory and a date with USC in Pasadena. "Just winning that Michigan State game and winning the Big Ten trophy [were memorable], knowing that was our team there," Williams said. "It was our senior team. I would say that was a top memory for me." 3 PENN STATE vs. NOTRE DAME Sept. 8, 2007 In one of his most electrifying plays as a Nittany Lion, Williams erased an early Penn State deficit when he returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown at the end of the first quarter. His weaving run captivated the 110,078 fans who had jammed into Beaver Stadium for the nonconference game, tying the score at 7-7 in what would become a 31-10 Penn State victory. Said Williams, "That was crazy." – N.B. D E R R I C K W I L L I A M S ' M O S T M E M O R A B L E M O M E N T S BWI file photo

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