Hensley, Williams Examples of IFL Success
November 4, 2022 – Indoor Football League (IFL) – Frisco Fighters News Release
FRISCO – For football players aiming to make a name for themselves and move up the professional ranks, the Billy Back-led Frisco Fighters are proving to be a valuable stepping stone.
Defensive lineman Charles Williams and offensive lineman J.R. Hensley have parlayed the success of a 15-3 campaign into career progression.
“All I can say is that everything’s bigger in Texas,” Hensley said. “You have to consider Frisco heavily because we’re producing guys. We’re getting guys opportunities.”
His came in the form of a futures contract from the Canadian Football League’s BC Lions. The team approached him not long after the Fighters’ exit from the playoffs. The pact guarantees him a camp roster spot when he gets to Vancouver in May.
“It’s just one of those full-circle moments,” Hensley said. “A lot of adversity with injury and stuff plagued me … I was able to go and get back in the Indoor Football League. Coach Back gave me a really good chance and, luckily, I was able to put some good stuff on tape.”
A worthy highlight reel was also a focus of Williams, who signed with the United States Football League’s Michigan Panthers in August. Members of the team’s brass got out to see him play in person during the postseason, soon after extending an offer.
“I jumped on it quick,” Williams said. “I’ve been trying to get outside for the past three, four years now … I’m glad to get back out there. I’m glad they took a shot (with) me. We’ve got camp in March, so I’m just looking forward to getting out there and doing me.”
He felt he deserved a chance to broaden his professional football horizons after his first season in the shades of blue. Still, he returned to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with an unchanged determination.
“I just had the same intentions to work hard, do my thing, make plays, and hopefully it happens,” Williams said. “I’ve been itching to get this done.”
Back enjoyed the chance to coach Williams, who paced the IFL in regular season sacks (11) and tackles for loss (17) in 2021. He was the only Frisco defensive player to earn All-IFL First-Team honors this past go-round.
“Charles was one of our best players,” Back said. “He was our long snapper. He was our best field goal blocker. He was our best defensive lineman. He was the leader of the team.
“His character off the field, you can’t match it. But his demeanor on the field is what you want as a coach. He gets after it, gets in their face, plays hard. He flips a switch in-between whistles.”
Whether it be physical fitness, film study, or his anticipation before the snap, Back contends that Williams has the tools of a franchise cornerstone.
“His get-off on the line of scrimmage is going to help him get to the quarterback,” Back said. “You put his IQ with his hand placement, his leverage, and his gamesmanship, he’s going to do well.”
The defensive lineman returns to the Great Lakes State, having played his college ball at Northwood College in Midland, Mich.
“It’s really cool just to be part of the Michigan name, being born in Michigan and having some older family members know about the original Michigan Panthers,” Williams said.
Unlike Williams, Hensley had a prior relationship with Back. He followed him from Spokane, where they both helped the Shock to the playoffs in 2021. The lineman didn’t do as well as he would’ve liked during that campaign.
Back called him, though, and told him to pull out his cowboy boots, giving him the opportunity to play a few hours from his hometown of Edmond, Okla.
“He was one of the guys I wanted to take with me no matter where I went,” Back said. “As soon as I signed with Frisco, he was one of the first signees I wanted to make sure happened.
“He keeps the locker room loose. If he messes up, he owns up to it. If he does great, he doesn’t say a word. He’s a guy that you want to be around for six months.”
Hensley will be transitioning to a larger playing space than the American game’s, the polar opposite of the condensed area he’s gotten used to.
Indoor football, he said, “is such a personal game. Everything is a one-on-one battle. You’re fighting in a phone booth.”
Canadian football fields measure 110 yards long by 65 yards wide, with 20-yard end zones. There’s also a rule prior to the snap that he’ll have to adjust to.
“You’ve got (defensive) guys lined up an extra yard off the football,” Hensley said. “Unlike the IFL, where they’re lined head-up and zero shade and no twists. No games, none of that.
“It’ll definitely be a change, but if you can get the feet moving, you can do anything.”
He recognizes the impact that his one season with the Fighters had on his path.
“Frisco was everything that I could’ve ever asked for as far as that platform to further my football career,” Hensley said.
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