Hajj-Malik Williams perseveres during ‘emotional time’ as UNLV backup QB

Hajj-Malik Williams started his first news conference as UNLV’s starting quarterback with a bang.

“How’s everybody doing today?” he asked loudly as he entered the press room Monday at Fertitta Football Complex.

“Oh, no … it’s way too quiet in here,” he said after the sparse response to his greeting.

Williams’ teammates have praised him for being a vocal presence on the field since fall camp. It didn’t take long for him to showcase that trait during Monday’s availability, which came after the Rebels’ first loss of the season, a 44-41 overtime defeat to Syracuse on Friday.

Rebels coach Barry Odom and senior linebacker Jackson Woodard used the words “hurt” and “gutted” Monday to describe the defeat.

For Williams, it wasn’t the first hardship of the season.

The sixth-year Campbell transfer initially lost the quarterback battle to former starter Matthew Sluka, who left the Rebels after three games because of a dispute over name image and likeness payments.

“Very emotional time for me,” Williams said of his brief stint as the backup.

He credited senior star receiver Ricky White III and Woodard for offering support.

“You can’t fake the funk,” Williams said. “They saw in my body language — I’m a competitor. I wanted to be out there on the field. … Of course, I knew I was going to get my opportunity, and those guys reminded me (that my time was coming and to stay ready).”

Odom has emphasized that the quarterback battle was so close he thought anyone could have been the starter. Eventually, he said, the decision came down to measurables and statistics from fall camp.

The Rebels are 1-1 with Williams as the starter. He threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 119 yards and one TD in his first start, a 59-14 victory over Fresno State. In the Syracuse loss, he passed for 227 yards and three TDs with one interception and ran for 53 yards and one TD.

Experienced leader

UNLV didn’t make Williams available after either of his two starts or at Odom’s weekly news conference after his first start. The quarterback was able to acclimate into his role without answering questions from the local media, but it doesn’t appear he needed much space to adjust.

Williams said Monday he hasn’t found it difficult to lead the team, adding that the hardest part is behind him.

“The biggest challenge was being quarterback two. I never did that before,” he said. “So that was a character battle. But I wasn’t alone, and I think that’s why I got to continue to remind people: Your community is everything. And having an environment like I had to be able to call them to wipe the tears off my face. They picked me up, literally. That’s what makes me go out and play with confidence.”

While Williams left Campbell as the program’s career leader in passing yards (8,236) and touchdowns (58), the 24-year-old noted that the FCS program molded him to a level of maturity he didn’t have coming out of high school in Georgia.

Williams, undoubtedly the loudest voice in the huddle, is surrounded by team captains Johnathan Baldwin, Jacob De Jesus, White and Woodard, who offer an equally important locker room presence.

“They all have the same mindset,” Williams said. “So leadership is kind of easy when you have help.”

Woodard and White weren’t shy about sharing their excitement that Williams would be the starter after Sluka’s exit, and they’ve continued that support.

“Hajj does such a good job. I’m blessed to be on a team with him. His leadership has helped my leadership.” Woodard said.

“Same with Ricky; we all lead in different ways. So it’s definitely special to have a group with a bunch of guys that are just so passionate.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.