One of the questions surrounding the offense this season was how would it replace the 1,430 yards that went to the NFL with Josh Adams. That question was answered when senior running back Dexter Williams broke out.
Now the biggest personnel question surrounding the offense is how will it replace Williams, who led the Irish offense with 995 yards, 6.3 yards per rush and 12 touchdowns despite playing just nine games.
He made his presence felt right away, taking his first carry of the season 45 yards for a touchdown to spark Notre Dame’s 38-17 rout of Stanford. Williams showed tremendous maturity as a player, and he quickly emerged as Notre Dame’s top offensive playmaker.
After catching just six passes during his first three seasons, Williams became a weapon in the pass game as well, hauling in 16 passes for 133 yards and another score. He showed toughness between the tackles, and his ability to turn the smallest hole into a big gain will be sorely missed in 2019, unless someone can step up and become that kind of player.
Here are the top contenders at running back in 2019:
