Even though he was somehow left off the list of finalists for the Doak Walker Award that goes annually to the nation’s top collegiate running back, Notre Dame’s Kyren Williams was about as good as it got at the position in all of college football in 2021. Despite playing behind a makeshift offense line that had no cohesion for nearly an entire half of the season, Williams still rushed for over 1,000 yards and was Notre Dame’s best offensive player on seemingly a weekly basis.
From afar it would seem like Williams will be suiting up for Notre Dame for the final time in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State on New Year’s Day but the star running back isn’t so sure that’s the case just yet.
“It’s something that obviously I’m thinking about and obviously I’ve got to make something happen,” said Williams following head coach Marcus Freeman’s introductory press conference on Monday, ““Coach Freeman has always been a coach I’ve wanted to play for and I felt like our connection this season has grown a lot stronger. But (stay at Notre Dame vs. declare for the NFL draft) is something I still have to think about and put into action later on.”
Williams was later asked if he was certain to play in the Fiesta Bowl to which he answered, “As of right now, yeah.”
I don’t want to speculate but I have trouble thinking that was still at all up in the air if there was much of a likelihood that he was returning to Notre Dame.
My guess is that with the short window most running backs have to be at their peak that Williams would go make an NFL salary starting next year but I never would have guessed Travis Etienne of Clemson would have stayed for his senior year back in 2020, either.
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