Kirby Smart’s Georgia is going bullish into the transfer portal. The Dawgs have already added key players like Amaris Williams and Georgia Tech’s Isaiah Canion. Braylon Conley’s addition in the secondary was also widely praised as the CB ditched USC and landed in Athens. Continuing the momentum, Kirby Smart has now landed a fourth key player in the secondary. But fans from his old stomping ground warned Kirby Smart of his troubled history.

The Dawgs have added Oklahoma CB Gentry Williams, who has one year of eligibility left. The CB comes with a higher upside and immense talent. The 6-foot and 188 lbs CB has totaled 47 tackles in 30 games for Oklahoma and looks for one final showdown in Athens. But Oklahoma fans have already labeled him a flop in Athens owing to his injury issues in Norman.

Gentry Williams has gone through a plethora of injury issues, including a persistent shoulder problem. In his high school junior season, the ace DB tore his right anterior cruciate ligament. The injury sidelined Gentry for the rest of the season as he underwent surgery for the same. At the time, he was rated a 5-star by 247 Sports, and programs continued to flock despite the injury problem.

Williams committed to Oklahoma and appeared in 12 games for the Sooners. But just when 2022 was trending towards an injury-free year, Gentry suffered an injury before the Cheez-It Bowl. The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native suffered a shoulder injury and missed the game. But soon after, it became apparent that the shoulder would take some time to heal. Owing to the recurring injury problems, OU fans seem happy to lose Williams to Georgia.

Oklahoma fans hand out tough verdict to Kirby Smart’s Gentry Williams’ decision

2023 was going to be a breakthrough year for Williams. But the CB played through his shoulder injury in the majority of the games. Though he started all 10 games in the season when he played as a DB, he was limited to just 372 snaps. Subsequently, the OU#9 even missed three games in the season, signaling injury woes.

Despite these injury issues, we have seen some magnificent performances from the DB when he’s healthy. An Oklahoma fan pointed just that and wrote, “To the Georgia fans – elite player WHEN healthy.” Another one upped it a notch, declaring Williams’ potential, only if he maintains his health. “They got an NFL-level talent day one starter if he can stay healthy,” wrote the user.

In the limited snaps Williams played in 2023, he managed to notch 30 tackles and 4 TFLs along with three interceptions. Moreover, who can forget when the CB registered his career high seven tackles against TCU, all being solo. Thereafter, Williams continued the heroics into the Tulsa game and notched six tackles and an interception. However, when the 2024 season came, the injury woes continued.

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“It’s all about staying healthy with him. He’s extremely talented, but he has hurt his shoulders a lot,” wrote one user about Williams’ injury issues. Another user delivered a harsh verdict and predicted Williams to last just 4 games. “Enjoy the 4 games you get out of him, bro is made of glass…” While the verdict may look exaggerated, Williams did have an unexpected health scare in March 2023.

Oklahoma’s players were practicing as usual and doing the ‘tug-o-war’ drill. Midway through it, Gentry collapsed and underwent multiple health checkups post that. “We were doing drills and he just kind of fell out,” OU CB Woodi Washington said. It was a major health scare, and the  OU athletic department described it to be an “exertional collapse.” But these issues never went away.

Back after his shoulder surgery in 2024, Gentry suffered another shoulder injury, aggravating his shoulder. He remained out of the 2024 season and played just two games. Oklahoma was still banking on the CB, given his 5-star talent and elite athleticism. “Really pulling for Gentry Williams; he’s worked so incredibly hard,” Brent Venables said. But coming back in 2025, Gentry’s shoulder woes remained prominent.

Williams was playing efficiently in the 2025 season until the South Carolina game came. The player had totaled 10 tackles and was looking to end the season on a positive note. Except when the OU faced Gamecocks on the road, Gentry suffered another shoulder injury and remained on the sidelines for the rest of the season. 

Owing to CB’s troubled history with injuries, OU fans’ comments are embedded in reality. But if Georgia can keep him healthy, count him as an All-SEC candidate easily. That’s exactly what one user pointed out. “Take care of our guy! Great kid, elite skills when healthy!” wrote the user. Can we see the performances finally for Williams in his last season? Will Georgia finally be able to keep him healthy?