Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.
Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.
A graduate student who began his career as a walk-on, [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] has worked his way into a starting role on this team. He represented LSU at SEC media days as he enters his fifth season, and he should play a key role in the running back rotation this fall.
Josh Williams Preseason Player Profile
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Ht: 5-9
Wt: 203
247Sports Composite Ranking
Two Stars | No. 454 in Texas | No. 216 Running Back
Class in 2022: Junior
Career Stats
| Year | G | Att | Yards | YPA | Rec | Yards | Total TDs |
| 2020 | 10 | 22 | 88 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 13 | 23 | 107 | 4.7 | 5 | 11 | 0 |
| 2022 | 11 | 97 | 532 | 5.5 | 21 | 132 | 6 |
Depth Chart Overview
Williams has one of the more interesting stories on this roster. Rated as a two-star recruit and ranking outside the top 3,000 nationally, the lifelong LSU fan chose to walk on in Baton Rouge over offers from Dayton, Drake, Lafayette and Colorado State-Pueblo.
However, Williams wouldn’t maintain walk-on status for long. After not seeing the field and redshirting his first year in 2019, he saw action in all 10 games as a redshirt freshman in 2020. He had 22 carries and returned two kickoffs.
Williams earned a scholarship and increased his carry total the following season by one.
He had his most productive season in 2022, becoming a starter and leading LSU’s backs in yards. He would’ve had an even bigger year had he not battled injuries down the stretch, but he enters a crowded running back room in 2023 as potentially the top option.