Reed Williams is, by his own account, a stubborn individual.

So the former Mountaineer linebacker is not going to give up on his dream of playing in the National Football League without a fight.

Undrafted in April, Williams had offers to attend rookie camps after the draft.

Trouble is, those shoulder injuries that forced him to miss most of the 2008 season and hampered him some last year weren’t completely gone.

“I had another surgery on my labium, so when those teams were calling, I had to tell them no,” Williams said. “Not the best way to start a career, I know. But hey, there is still interest, so I am not going to give up. Not without a fight.”

To that end, he is still in Morgantown, working out with strength and conditioning coach Mike Joseph, and he has relayed that information to teams like Cleveland and Cincinnati, which had pursued him.

“Now, it’s all about waiting,” said Williams, who was in Beckley Thursday at the Mountaineer Athletic Club’s Summer Blitz, featuring WVU’s new athletic director, Oliver Luck. “That’s why I didn’t sign a lease. I’m living with my brother in Morgantown. You have to be ready to leave at the drop of a hat if somebody calls.”

Williams, a 6-foot-1, 228-pound force during his Mountaineer career, logged 254 career tackles, including 107 during his junior year in 2007. He was shut down after two games in 2008 and was later granted a medical redshirt to return in 2009.

That 2007 season culminated with Williams being named the defensive MVP in the Mountaineers’ win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, when he had nine tackles, two tackles for a loss, a sack and a forced fumble.

Shoulder injuries limited him after, but he hasn’t slowed down.

“That’s why it was so disappointing to sit there through the draft and here names of players called who you think you’re better than,” Williams said. “But shoulder injuries and flying under the radar doesn’t necessarily lend itself to draft status.”

He is still convinced he will get a shot.

“No doubt, or I wouldn’t bother,” he said. “I always tell people I am the busiest person with nothing to do.”

Williams was one of 16 finalists for the 2009 William V. Campbell Trophy for a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Class Award. He was recognized as one of the top football players in college football during the Hall of Fame inductions at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

 Williams, who carried a 3.86 GPA at WVU, was awarded an $18,000 scholarship that must be used to fund a graduate degree. He has earned two degrees in WVU’s College of Business and Economics — one in marketing, one in finance.

“That was an experience,” he said. “It was like the Clampetts go to the city. My mom had never been to the city, so that was good. And you get to sit up there with guys like (Florida’s Tim) Tebow. I was kind of wondering if I belonged for a while. But it was good.”

He said he will return to school one day, and he recently returned from a cross-country, 40-hour odyssey to Phoenix where he helped his girlfriend return to law school in Arizona.

“I’ll probably go back, get an MBA, maybe go to law school,” the Moorefield native said. “But right now I want to keep my options open. I think I can play at the next level.”

But he was more than happy to do a two-day tour with the MAC Summer Blitz, especially with Luck, whose career path Williams seems to be following.

“To be mentioned in the same breath with Mr. Luck, that’s an honor,” Williams said. “When he asked me to do this, I couldn’t say no. I have a lot of respect for that man. He is first-class in everything.”

As, no doubt, Williams will be, whether he plays in the NFL or not.

“I can’t get away from football. I will probably be affiliated with it for the rest of my life,” he said. “And I’m starting to think, why should I not be in the sport in some way or some fashion?”