Mac McWilliams seeking to be newest Pine Forest defensive again drafted

[ad_1] Former Pine Forest defensive coordinator Kadetrix Marcus is aware of expertise when he sees it.

A former Division I defensive again on the College of South Carolina, Marcus has already coached the likes of Martin Emerson and Devon Witherspoon, each Eagle alums who at the moment are within the NFL.

These two performed defensive again for Pine Forest collectively, with Emerson graduating in 2017 adopted by Witherspoon in 2018.

Now Mac McWilliams, one other Pine Forest alum who was only a 12 months or two behind these now NFL stars, is hoping to listen to his title known as on the 2025 NFL Draft to make it a "hat trick" for Marcus.

"He didn’t have to look at them, as a result of he was taking part in proper subsequent to them. He did not miss a beat," Marcus mentioned of McWilliams. "The issues I put these guys via to assist them succeed at a excessive stage, ready them to be collegiate gamers. Now, I simply keep round them and inspire them – they usually all are, or are going to be, skilled athletes. They didn’t actually watch one another, aside from modeling one another’s strategies and training one another as a result of they have been taking part in on the identical time. That was most likely the very best secondary I’ve been in a position to coach, between Martin, Devon and Mac on the identical time.”

McWilliams, when he began at Pine Forest as a sophomore, was initially a large receiver and Wildcat hybrid position. With the Eagles needing some extra gamers within the secondary, former Pine Forest assistant coach Demarcus Blount, who died in 2024, and Marcus pulled McWilliams to the defensive facet of the ball.

McWilliams had performed protection whereas rising up. Immediately, McWilliams slot in with the blokes like Witherspoon and Emerson together with his "athleticism and willingness to compete," Marcus added.

"He simply made an excellent defensive again," Marcus mentioned.

In two seasons beginning at defensive again for Pine Forest, McWilliams recorded 121 tackles and 11 interceptions, together with a standout three-interception recreation towards West Florida in his senior 12 months. 5 of these interceptions his senior 12 months have been pick-6's.

He was additionally precious on particular groups with 325 yards on kickoff returns as a senior, and 129 punt return yards. He returned one every for a landing.

However that wasn't the one spot that McWilliams stood out.

"He had some nice moments in video games. Should you’ve been round sports activities in awhile, you realize that folks make the very best performs in apply. Simply watching him, we’ll do one-on-ones and he’d guard guys 3 times in a row the place I wouldn’t let the DBs rotate. He competed in apply on a regular basis," Marcus mentioned. "However the best way he practiced, that’s what stood out to me to know that he was going to be an elite participant. It’s simple to show it on in a recreation. However in case you’re doing that day by day in apply and translate it to video games, whereas having fun with the method of it, these are the blokes who're going to grow to be elite gamers.”

McWilliams spent the primary few years of faculty at UAB, taking part in alongside his older brother, Fish McWilliams, earlier than getting into the switch portal and signing with UCF for the 2024-25 season. That is the place McWilliams was coached by Addison Williams – who additionally coached Marcus at South Carolina – and instantly slot in "with NFL-caliber gamers," Marcus added.

"When Mac was within the switch portal and was dedicated to UCF, I advised him that Addison could be an excellent man to latch onto due to his data of the sport and his capability to educate," Marcus mentioned. "It wasn’t a shock to me to see his inventory rise."

McWilliams competed at each the Reese's Senior Bowl amongst among the greatest faculty soccer gamers, and confirmed off his expertise the NFL Mix main as much as the draft. On the mix, he was within the high 10 for his 40-yard sprint (4.41 seconds).

McWilliams is presently projected to be a third-day choice within the NFL Draft on April 26, floating between the fifth and sixth rounds. If McWilliams does hear his title known as, he'd be the third Pine Forest alum in the previous couple of years to be drafted.

That is on high of a pair different Pensacola-area alums, comparable to Alex Leatherwood in 2021 and Kalia Davis in 2022.

"It was simply me being a hard-nosed coach. On the time, lots of people didn’t perceive what I used to be doing. Lots of people didn’t know. They didn’t perceive what it actually took to be at a excessive stage," mentioned Marcus, speaking about having the success of these three defensive backs. "When Martin went first (in 2022), it was then a dialog with Devon, ‘OK, now it’s your flip.’ When Devon went, Mac mentioned, ‘OK, now it’s my time.’ Now gamers like Pooda Walker, who’s at Memphis, he feels prefer it’s his flip. These guys, taking part in towards one another, we are saying, ‘Birds of a feather flock collectively.’ Whenever you see your friends do one thing that you really want, it makes it simpler so far as the dream being attainable. ...

"We’re praying for the way issues fall and that he will get drafted larger. It doesn’t matter the place he goes. All that issues is attending to the NFL and lasting. A whole lot of guys make it, however don’t final. The purpose is to final lengthy sufficient the place the NFL doesn’t say, ‘It’s time to be performed,’ however you may say, ‘I wish to stroll away from soccer.’ I’m completely satisfied for Mac. ... I do know he will probably be on somebody’s staff after this week.”