Former Bainbridge High School Bearcats quarterback and defensive back Nick Williams will be starting at safety for the University of Georgia Bulldogs Friday when they take on the Central Florida Knights in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn.

Kickoff will be at 2:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN.

After appearing in 12 games at linebacker and recording nine tackles as a sophomore, the former Bearcat was switched permanently to safety by Bulldogs new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.

Williams is 6-foot-2 and weighs 219 pounds.

He says the freedom that the Bulldogs 3-4 defensive alignment has given him allows him to play the hard-hitting assertive brand of football that he likes. Williams is majoring in education.

Williams, who played under former Bearcats head coach Ricky Williams, was a 2007 honorable mention All-State selection by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Georgia Sports Writers Association.

As a Bearcats quarterback, he passed for 2,428 yards and 23 touchdowns in four seasons.

He completed 82 of 174 passes for 1,105 yards and 12 touchdowns during the 2007 season. He threw for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.

Williams, who is known for his aggressive and physical play, was named starting safety following the Bulldogs 2010 spring practice.

Bearcats head coach Mark Richt said he thought Williams has given great effort this season.