BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Linebacker Randall Williams, who led Baldwin County High School’s football team in tackles during the 2007 football season, has signed an athletic grant-in-aid with New Mexico Military Institute of Roswell, N.M.

Williams made 122 total tackles during the Tigers’ 4-6 season that included a first-round state-playoff loss to eventual 6A state champion Prattville.

Williams also had six quarterback sacks and intercepted four passes for first-year BCHS coach David Wofford.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Williams said that he was contacted recently by NMMI head football coach Jeff Lynn about playing at the school located in the southeast corner of New Mexico.

Just wanting to play football anywhere he could at the college level, Williams said he quickly accepted the offer. Williams said he had no second thoughts about playing his first two years of college football nearly 1,200 miles from home.

“I’m ready to go play just anywhere I can,” Williams, who has been timed at 4.6 seconds over40 yards and bench presses 285 pounds, said. He said that the NMMI coaches told him they would play him at outside linebacker.

The New Mexico Military football staff learned of Williams through a contact of Wofford’s who once coached at Delta State University and is now at NMMI, Wofford said. The Broncos finished 3-8 during the 2007 season after opening with a 60-0 win over Lea County.

They lost their next five games and didn’t hold an opponent under 21 points in their last 10 games, giving up an average of 29.1 points per game for the season.

“If they’re looking for defensive help, they got themselves a good one,” Wofford said of Williams.

“Randall has been an outstanding defensive player for us. He led the team in tackles. He had over 120 tackles. He also had several sacks and interceptions,” Woffod said, adding, “But the thing that he brought to the table for our defense was his intense pursuit of the football.

“Every time the ball was carried by the oppostite team, Randall was somewhere near it, or on it, and we’ll miss him tremendously but we’re very tickled about this opportunity for him to go to New Mexico Military and play.”

What Williams lacks in size, “he makes up for in hitting ability,” Wofford said.

New Mexico Military’s 2007 roster included 19 players from the eastern side of the United States. None were from Alabama, but there were 13 from Georgia and Florida.