Teddy Williams was in middle of an offseason lift when Army offensive line coach Cheston Blackshear tossed out an idea for the 2025 season.
Blackshear suggested that if Williams, a tight end, could add 15-20 pounds he could play tackle his junior year.
“He (Blackshear) said if you gain (the weight), you can be a pretty good blocker,” Williams said.
One of Army’s top questions going into the offseason and spring was who would replace graduated starting tackles Connor Finucane and Lucas Scott on the Black Knights’ Joe Moore Award-winning (best unit in the nation) offensive line.
Finucane started 52 games, including the last 51 of his five-year career. Scott successfully moved from starting right guard to right tackle his senior year and earned second-team all-American honors by the Football Writers Association of America .
Williams was up for the challenge and all-in with the position change. Protein shakes and Boost energy drinks are now an essential part of Williams’ diet. Williams has gained 15 pounds since the move and his playing weight is between 275-280 pounds.
“Eating is definitely a challenge but you just got to do it,” Williams said. “Honestly, you just have to keep eating every two to three hours.”
Williams is one of handful of tight ends that have switched positions this spring. He has worked his way to snaps on Army’s top two offensive lines with the help of some guidance from junior tackle Ned Brady.
“He’s (Brady) mentored me a lot in how to learn the position and all of the plays,” Williams said. “We’ve had some other tight ends (Nolleen Tabaska and James Rothstein) come in and we are trying to learn the playbook together. That’s really helped all of us develop as tackles.”
Watching film from last year’s offensive line has also sped up the transition for Williams. Finucane and Scott set the right example to follow.
“Those two are literally the best guys to watch if you want to learn how to play in our offense,” Williams said. “We have great examples if you want to learn.”
Friday’s Black and Gold spring game will be another step for Williams. He’s learning with every practice and every rep.
“It’s kind of a fail-until-you-make-it thing at a lot of things,” Williams said. “There’s a lot of looks that you haven’t seen before so you have to go through it, maybe mess it up a few times and the next time.
“There are things that I have to clean up (from last Saturday’s scrimmage,” Williams said. “Some new looks that I haven’t seen before that I didn’t really 100 percent know what to do, have to get those fixed.”
That’s the goal for spring football – learn as much as possible about the position.
Coach Jeff Monken has moved many tight ends to the offensive line, specifically tackle, in his previous 12 years. Some became starters and flourished.
Remember Brett Toth was recruited as a tight end and switched to tackle in Monken’s early years. Toth won a Super Bowl with the Eagles in February, snapping on Philadelphia’s final series as a reserve.
Will Williams be the next to make a successful transition?
