birmingham stallions’ receiver marlon williams is back from injury and ready for another title run

Marlon Williams returns to Birmingham Stallions wide receiver rotation for 2024 season.

APRIL 6, 2024 - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

By Steve Irvine

 A scoreboard wasn’t needed to determine that Birmingham Stallions wide receiver Marlon Williams was a winner last Saturday in the UFL opener against the Arlington Renegades. Being on the field was a victory in itself for Williams.

The fact that the scoreboard also determined that Birmingham was a winner made a sweet night even sweeter. But, returning to the field nearly a year after tearing an Achilles tendon in the 2023 USFL season opener was as significant as the final result in the triumph over the Renegades.

“It’s everything,” said Williams, a Mobile native, who played collegiately at UCF. “Last year was tough. I had a great camp (in 2023). You know, all the work I put in during camp came short after, you know, a half of football. I'm very happy. I finished the game this past weekend.”

Williams enters his third season with the Stallions. In his first season, Williams caught 32 passes for 474 yards with four touchdowns in the regular season. In two playoff games, he caught 11 passes for 129 yards with a 41-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter of the USFL Championship game win over the Philadelphia Stars.

Bigger things were expected of him last season. However, his season ended before it really got started. His injury came on the final possession of the first half in a win over the New Jersey Generals.

Excitement and anticipation for his second USFL season turned into grinding his way through one of the most difficult rehabs for an athlete.

“The rehab part of that injury is very, very extensive,” Williams said. “I mean, you know, starting off I couldn't really walk for like a month or so. Then it was just learning how to walk again. My leg was small, so I had to get my calf muscles back to normal, get my leg size back to normal. Then I had  to start gradually walking then jogging then running. And so, it was a long process, but I think I came back faster than was expected, you know. So, I was excited about that.”

Williams said he spent the first month of his rehab around his teammates in Birmingham, partly to keep himself in a good spot mentally. After about a month, he went home to Orlando to finish the rehab process.

No matter where he was, though, his approach remained positive.

“Nah, never no doubt, you know, just put all my faith in God,” Williams said. “I know that anything that he puts into motion will happen. I just have to believe. Ask him for what I want and believe that he'll do it for me. You know, know that he’ll do it for me. And so I really had no doubts. I was just ready for the opportunity to be back.”

He was ready to go for camp this season and reentered the rotation at receiver. A strong camp didn’t keep pregame nerves from taking over.

“I was kind of nervous the whole game,” Williams said. “You know, going through an injury, you go through a lot of mental problems. Not mental problems but mental hurdles. Trying to make sure to see if you’re still the same person. But I was really, really excited before the game.”

His first game included a pair of receptions for 30 yards. Both catches came on crucial drives in the 27-14 win over Arlington. His first catch, which gained 13 yards, started a drive that culminated with the game-tying points on the final possession of the first half. His second catch allowed the Stallions to convert on 3rd-and-9 while they were attempting to run time off the clock in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

“Honestly, I think I played okay,” Williams said. “I was trying to get my feet back wet, you know, trying to get my feet underneath me. You know, I hadn’t played in a game in a year, so I feel like those two catches that I did make, they put some confidence in me. It showed me that I can still make those plays that I need to make. I was just ready to make a play for the team when my number was called.”

Expect more of those plays to come.