Kyren Williams’ 2020 breakout campaign puts the 5-foot-9 back in rare company.
In their true sophomore seasons, only three previous Notre Dame running backs outrushed Williams and his 1,125 yards on the ground in 2020:
• Allen Pinkett 1983 - 1,505 yards
• Darius Walker 2005 - 1,196 yards
• Autry Denson 1996 - 1,179 yards
Williams just nudged past Hall-of-Fame running back Jerome Bettis, who scampered for 1,122 yards as a second-year player in 1991. In total, six Irish running backs have rushed for more than 1,000 yards in their sophomore seasons.
What sets Williams apart from those that came before him is his near non-existent production as a freshman. He played in two games in 2019 and carried the ball four times for 26 yards.
The others at least had a dozen carries and more than 100 yards in their first seasons.
As a former three-star recruit, it’s fair to say Williams has already overachieved based on his prep ranking.
Now back for his third and potentially final season in South Bend, Williams is too much of a competitor to accept his 2020 results as his offensive ceiling.
Per offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, Williams attacks every drill and every rep with a tenacity only rivaled by freshman tight end Michael Mayer.
This spring, Williams’ objective is to ascend to an even higher level, but his biggest opportunity for growth won’t come in the running game. Last season, Williams was third on the team in total receptions (35) and fifth in receiving yards (313), but the offensive coaching staff believes the 5-foot-9 back has much more to offer as a pass-catcher.
“We’re going to add even more to his plate,” Rees said. “We’re going to see him line up in other areas of the field. I think we have three running backs that can all play for us right now and can all give us benefit. So it’s our job to get the best players on the field all the time."
Such an increase in responsibilities should allow Williams to stay on the field with fellow running back Chris Tyree, Notre Dame’s fastest offensive skill player, who can also play out of the slot.
Theoretically, spending less of his snaps in the backfield could also help reduce the wear and tear on his body.
Last season, he either carried the ball or was used in pass protection on 57.3 percent of his 597 snaps. Given how he sold out as a pass blocker, many of the hits he sustained protecting quarterback Ian Book were more violent than the pounding he took actually running the ball.
Clemson running back Travis Etienne, on the other hand, was frequently used in the passing game and ran a route on 57.2 percent of his 556 snaps.
Williams’ background as a wide receiver should help with this transition, as he grew up playing the position before moving to running back in the latter half of his high school career.
“[Playing receiver] gives me the ability to really showcase who I am as a player because I'm not just a running back,” Williams said. “I consider myself as an athlete — really just a ballplayer.”
In 2020, he mostly ran routes out of the backfield or moved into position for a screen. Of the 43 times he was targeted, 18 came behind the line of scrimmage and all but three came fewer than 10 yards down the field. He averaged 8.9 yards per reception.
By lining up Williams in the slot, it will increase the number of routes he can run and his ability to impact the game.
“For Kyren, because he has an innate ability in the passing game, it’s going to be how do we expand his role to maximize even more touches?” Rees said. “[How do we] get him into more space?
“We’re doing a lot of things right now, playing around with him and the other backs, whether there’s two of them in the game, or we’re lining them up outside of the backfield. That’s the next progression in terms of how we want to play this year.”
Another role where Williams hopes to improve is as an offensive decoy. His on-the-field success in 2020 means he now demands the constant attention of the defense.
When Notre Dame runs an RPO (Run-Pass Option), for instance, he says it’s his job at times to run at the linebacker while making it appear as if he has the ball. Going forward, he wants this process to feel like second nature, which will allow him to better execute his responsibilities.
“I'm going to carry out my fake and really do those little things that could throw off somebody on a defense and that allows us to open up explosive plays,” Williams said. “I know little things that need to be done."
Even after rushing for 1,125 yards as a sophomore, Williams still notices flaws in his game when carrying the ball out of the backfield. He sees more long runs in his future, but in order to do that, he’ll need to improve at making defenders miss once he reaches the second level.
Lastly, because there’s no aspect of his game that’s perfect yet, he wants to enhance his vision. Every game, he hopes for moments where he cuts, finds a hole, bursts through the defense and leaves fans wondering, “How did he even see that?”
But more than anything, Williams is using this spring to get one percent better every day and is enjoying the process of expanding his role within the offense.
“The spring, it's been fun really getting back into the groove of being a wide receiver playing in the slot again,” Williams said. “I know what the workload looks like, and I know what has to be done every day to be where I want to be. I'm just going to keep on going forward with this challenge.”
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