Williams adds Coaches’ All-SEC accolades

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Defensive back Joejuan Williams has been voted to the Coaches’ All-Southeastern Conference team, the league office announced on Tuesday.
 
Williams, a junior from Nashville, was selected as a second-team cornerback by the league’s 14 head coaches.
 
The conference will announce its All-Freshmen team on Wednesday and individual awards on Thursday.
 
Williams’ selection to the coaches’ team comes one day after he and three Vanderbilt teammates were voted to the Associated Press postseason All-SEC team.  Williams, junior wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb, redshirt-junior tight end Jared Pinkney and redshirt-junior running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn were named as second-team honorees by a regional panel of AP members. The media also selected Vaughn as the SEC’s Newcomer of the Year.
 
Williams, who ranked among league leaders in interceptions and passes defended, joins D.J. Moore, Andre Hal and Casey Hayward as recent Commodore cornerbacks to earn AP All-SEC recognition.
 
Williams, who has started 24 straight games for the Commodores, is regarded among the SEC’s top coverage cornerbacks. The 6-3, 210-pound Williams led all SEC defensive backs with 15 defensed passes and ranked second in the conference with four interceptions.
 
Williams also finished this season in superb fashion. He posted interceptions in three of the team’s final six games and clinched the Commodores’ overtime victory over Ole Miss by deflecting a fourth-down Rebel pass as the Vanderbilt goal-line. It was one of four passes defended by Williams in the game.
 
Williams also finished the year with 56 total tackles and 44 unassisted stops, both single-season career highs.
 
Williams and the 6-6 Commodores officially accepted an invitation last Sunday to play in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl in Houston, to be played Dec. 27 at 8 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium on ESPN. Vanderbilt will face 6-6 Baylor of the Big 12 Conference.