With Notre Dame’s running back depth chart down Greg Bryant, freshman Dexter Williams has a clear line to the football field this fall. While wide receiver Justin Brent has converted to the backfield and Tarean Folston returns as a starter, Williams and fellow freshman Josh Adams couldn’t ask for a more advantageous situation, especially with C.J. Prosise taking time to heal an ailing hip flexor.
Of course, playing a freshman in the backfield is another story. With Brian Kelly requiring his running backs to understand pass blocking schemes and an offense filled with checks and line changes, Williams may have all the physical gifts in the world, but he’ll need to master the mental side of the game before he sees action.
With the Irish just over two weeks away from their opening game, let’s take a closer look at the Florida native and see what’s in store for Williams this season.
DEXTER WILLIAMS
5'11", 200 lbs.
Freshman, No. 34, RB
RECRUITING PROFILE
A top-100 prospect in 247’s composite rankings, Notre Dame won a late-cycle recruiting battle when Williams sent his fax to the (574) instead of Miami. He visited South Bend in mid-January, the final recruiting win for Tony Alford in a battle for a heralded running back.
Williams played for West Orange High School in Orlando, helping to lead the team to an 11-1 record and their first 8A playoff victory in school history. He had offers from Florida, Ohio State and USC as well.
FUTURE POTENTIAL
Williams has all the sizzle and shake you want from a running back, and pairs it with a physicality that had Paul Longo talking on Media Day.
“Dexter Williams [has] a frame that I’m really excited to work with. He’s fast and explosive already, so I can see where more upper body strength and adding stamina, and getting some body fat down, he’s going to really make some good jumps,” Longo told Blue & Gold’s Jordan Wells.
Also adding to Williams’ potential is a depth chart that’s really advantageous. The lack of depth at the position could help him get his feet wet in 2015. But more realistically, it’ll also let him take his shot at a starting job after Tarean Folston departs.
Of course, judging a running back based on star-rankings and YouTube clips is a foolhardy exercise. We’ve seen elite guys struggle to get on the field while three-star prospects turn into great players. But Kelly talked positively about Williams’ ability to be a breakaway back at the second level on Signing Day, and there’s no reason to think that the Irish didn’t land a potential home run hitter when he arrived in South Bend this June.
CRYSTAL BALL
One freshman running back looks like he’s going to play this season. And while a single day of practice reps hardly tells a story, Williams is running behind Josh Adams so far in training camp. And while Josh Anderson earning a scholarship doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to get onto the field, Anderson was also taking major practice reps, a veteran who could show young guys (Brent included) how things are supposed to look.
At this point, you can make a valuable argument for saving a year of eligibility or getting some part-time experience. Notre Dame’s redshirt running backs haven’t utilized that fifth year, with neither George Atkinson or Cierre Wood sticking around for it. (Of course, Atkinson and Wood made moves that weren’t necessarily based on what was best for their future from an on-field perspective.)
Life has to be quite a whirlwind for Williams right now. New places, classes starting soon and a playbook that looks quite different than high school. But working with new position coach Autry Denson, he’ll be able to make what he wants from his freshman season. Right now, I’d be surprised if that’s a role that’s on field, though Williams will dictate that by his work on the practice field.
THE 2015 IRISH A-to-Z
Josh Adams, RB
Josh Barajas, OLB
Nicky Baratti, S
Alex Bars, OL
Asmar Bilal, OLB
Hunter Bivin, OL
Grant Blankenship, DE
Jonathan Bonner, DE
Miles Boykin, WR
Justin Brent, WR
Greg Bryant, RB
Devin Butler, CB
Jimmy Byrne, OL
Daniel Cage, DL
Amir Carlisle, RB
Nick Coleman, DB
Te’von Coney, LB
Shaun Crawford, DB
Scott Daly, LS
Sheldon Day, DL
Michael Deeb, LB
Micah Dew-Treadway, DL
Steve Elmer, RG
Matthias Farley, DB
Nicco Fertitta, DB
Tarean Folston, RB
Will Fuller, WR
Jarrett Grace, LB
Jalen Guyton, WR
Mark Harrell, OL
Jay Hayes, DL
Mike Heuerman, TE
Kolin Hill, DE
Tristen Hoge, C
Corey Holmes, WR
Chase Hounshell, TE
Torii Hunter, Jr. WR
Alizé Jones, TE
Jarron Jones, DL
DeShone Kizer, QB
Tyler Luatua, TE
Cole Luke, CB
Nick Martin, C
Greer Martini, LB
Jacob Matuska, DL
Mike McGlinchey, OT
Colin McGovern, OL
Peter Mokwuah, DL
John Montelus, OL
Nyles Morgan, LB
Sam Mustipher, OL
Quenton Nelson, OL
Tyler Newsome, P
Romeo Okwara, DE
James Onwualu, LB
C.J. Prosise, WR/RB
Doug Randolph, LB/DE
Max Redfield, S
Corey Robinson, WR
Trevor Ruhland, OL
CJ Sanders, WR
Joe Schmidt, LB
Avery Sebastian, S
Elijah Shumate, S
Jaylon Smith, LB
Durham Smythe, TE
Equanimeous St. Brown, WR
Ronnie Stanley, LT
Elijah Taylor, DL
Brandon Tiassum, DL
Jerry Tillery, DL
Drue Tranquill, S
Andrew Trumbetti, DE
John Turner, S
Nick Watkins, CB
Nic Weishar, TE
Ashton White, CB