Jarren Williams, a former University of Miami quarterback who was set to play for Alabama A&M this season, is stepping away from football.
Williams wrote a lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday explaining that he’s retiring from football to choose his “mental health and happiness.”
“After my last concussion, I slipped into another depression and couldn’t shake how I was feeling inside,” Williams wrote. “I started boxing myself in away from friends, family, and teammates unable to connect with anyone and being a leader of a team I knew I couldn’t be this way. I felt like I was losing myself and through adversity, alot of people that were close to me that I looked up to turned their back on me because of what they read, heard, or they just didn’t believe I could still make it. And this hurt because at times I felt like I really needed them and their support, but it’s okay. Through this adversity, I learned so much about myself as a person and built a lot of character through these times. It only made me stronger and wiser.”
Jarren Williams was a top 100 prospect and garnered a four-star rating from 247Sports in the 2018 recruiting cycle out of Central Gwinnett High School.
Williams was Miami’s top passer in 2019, setting Miami and ACC records with six passing touchdowns against Louisville late in the season on the way to a 6-7 record. He then transferred to Garden City Community College in Kansas in 2020, but didn’t play due to the pandemic. Williams would go on to commit to USF during the 2020 early signing period in December, where he was expected to compete for the starting job. That never happened at USF, so Williams hit the transfer portal again.
Williams signed with Alabama A&M last December and looked to compete for the spot left vacant by departing quarterback Aqeel Glass.
“Please respect my decision. There is way more to life than football. Don’t limit yourself to one thing especially if you’re not happy. Do what makes you happy. Nobody has to understand but you. God works in mysterious ways but he has a plan for everybody on this planet. We simply wouldn’t be here if he didn’t. It’s all about how you look at it. We all live in our own illusions bound by our individual knowledge and awareness.”
Williams’ departure this late in the season means AAMU will likely need to add another signal-caller via the transfer portal soon.
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