Tag: Josh Williams

LSU Spring Football Outlook: The running backs

Here’s where LSU’s running back room stands entering spring practice.

Spring practice is the first real sign we’re moving away from 2023 and heading for the 2024 season.

At LSU, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is quickly approaching his third spring practice with the Tigers.

Throughout the spring, I’ll be taking a look at how LSU stacks up at every position. There’s still plenty to figure out at this point, some of which we’ll learn in the spring, but we know where LSU stands personnel-wise at these spots.

Here, we move on to the running backs. With [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] gone, more pressure will be put on the backfield to produce in the run game. Depth is a concern right now, but there’s potential. Here’s how the RB room stacks up.

Josh Williams to run partial Cup Series schedule with Kaulig Racing in 2024

Kaulig Racing announced on Monday evening that Josh Williams will run select NASCAR Cup Series events in the No. 16 car in 2024.

[autotag]Kaulig Racing[/autotag] will only have one full-time driver in the NASCAR Cup Series, with Daniel Hemric piloting the No. 31 car. As for the No. 16 car, it will compete in every race due to its status as a chartered entry, with A.J. Allmendinger behind the wheel for select races. Until Monday evening, Allmendinger was the only driver announced for the No. 16 car.

In 2024, Kaulig Racing will have [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] behind the wheel of the No. 16 entry for select races starting at the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum. Williams is the full-time driver of the No. 11 Xfinity car for Kaulig Racing after moving away from DGM Racing. The Xfinity Series driver has some experience in the Cup Series, but it is his best equipment yet.

It will be interesting to see who else drives the No. 16 Cup car for Kaulig Racing. Allmendinger and Williams are the only two drivers currently announced, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see more competitors behind the wheel. Kaulig Racing’s new approach with the No. 16 car will give the team its best ability to compete every week.

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LSU running back Logan Diggs enters the transfer portal

Logan Diggs led all LSU running backs with 653 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023.

LSU’s running back depth will take a hit in 2024 as [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag] has entered the transfer portal, according to multiple reports.

News broke of Diggs’ decision on Friday, but with the deadline to enter passing on Tuesday, that choice would have been officially made earlier this week at the latest.

A transfer addition this offseason from Notre Dame, Diggs provided a major boost to a running game that struggled outside of [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] in 2022. While Daniels led the team in rushing once again with more than 1,100 yards, Diggs led all running backs in 2023 with 653 yards and seven touchdowns on 119 carries while appearing in 10 games.

Diggs will have one more year of eligibility at his final stop.

It’s a significant loss for the running back room, which is likely set to return at least one veteran still in [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag]. True freshmen [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag], who redshirted, and [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] should see an expanded role, and 2024 signee [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] will likely also have an impact.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Stock Up, Stock Down: LSU finishes with another 10 win season

With a 10-win season on the line for LSU, the defense stepped up and stopped Wisconsin to secure the victory.

With a 10-win season on the line for LSU, the defense stepped up and stopped Wisconsin to secure the victory. On the offensive drive before that, [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] led the Tigers on an eight-play, 98-yard touchdown drive to give the Tigers a 35-31 lead with three minutes to play.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has won 10 games in back-to-back seasons at LSU and has had a player win the Heisman Trophy. [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] broke the LSU career receiving yard record as he eclipsed 3,000 yards receiving against the Badgers.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], Nabers, and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] are all projected to be first-round picks in the 2024 NFL draft and the future on the Bayou is bright with Nussmeier at the helm.

Here’s how things are trending as the 2023 season winds to a close.

Josh Williams says he’s learning toward returning to LSU in 2024

Josh Williams seems more likely to return for a sixth season than not.

LSU is still waiting on draft decisions from several players, one of them being fifth-year running back [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag].

A former walk-on who has become a major part of LSU’s rushing rotation, Williams has the option to return for a sixth year, and while he has said in the past he will likely come back to Baton Rouge, that decision hasn’t been finalized.

He still hasn’t made a decision and said he needs to consult with his parents, but he’s still leaning toward returning to the team in 2024, according to The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander.

“It’s looking like I’m most likely going to come back to LSU next year,” Williams said.

Williams appeared in all 12 games this season, but he only started three and saw his production drop off with the addition of Logan Diggs. In 46 appearances over four seasons, he has 961 yards and 11 touchdowns on 185 carries.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

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LSU RB Tre Bradford expected to enter transfer portal, per report

LSU’s deep running back room has seen another departure.

The transfer portal doesn’t officially open for non-graduate football players until Monday, but a high number of players have already announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal.

Included in that are several players from LSU’s deep running back room. [autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag] and walk-on Corren Norman plan to enter the portal, and now they’ll be joined by [autotag]Tre Bradford[/autotag], according to a report from 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

A four-star recruit in the 2020 class, Bradford initially transferred to Oklahoma briefly following the 2021 season before returning to the Tigers, though he wouldn’t officially rejoin the team until this summer. He appeared in just one game this fall, starting the opener against Florida State.

In that game, he saw four carries for one yard and had a catch for 55 yards, but he was quickly supplanted by [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] and others in the running back room.

In three seasons at LSU, Bradford appeared in seven games with two starts, seeing just 16 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown. After a winding career with the Tigers that was marked by a departure and eligibility issues, Bradford will look for a fresh start elsewhere.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

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LSU running back enters the transfer portal

LSU’s deep running back room took a hit on Monday.

An LSU running back has entered his name into the transfer portal.

[autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag], a junior from Birmingham, Alabama, has suffered injuries during his freshman and sophomore seasons, and he hasn’t touched the field this year for the Tigers.

LSU has turned to [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag], [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag], [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] to carry the load in the backfield. Goodwin is eligible to be redshirted this fall since he has not appeared in any games, though it remains to be seen if that will happen.

During his two years on the Bayou, Goodwin appeared in 13 games, making three starts, and he carried the ball 61 times for 332 yards and five touchdowns. He had a much better season as a sophomore than as a freshman which led to Goodwin being a prime candidate for playing time this year but he has yet to see the field.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Injury Report: LSU RB Logan Diggs DOUBTFUL vs. Georgia State on Saturday

Logan Diggs is unlikely to suit up for the second week in a row.

As LSU prepares to face Georgia State in what it hopes will be a tuneup game on Saturday night, it looks like the team will be shorthanded at running back once again.

Starting tailback [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], who missed last week’s game against Florida with an upper-body injury, was listed as doubtful to play in Saturday’s game against the Panthers by coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] on Thursday.

Diggs, a transfer addition from Notre Dame, has been a revelation for the Tigers’ run game this season. He leads LSU running backs with 113 carries and 635 yards, and he’s added six touchdowns on the year.

Assuming Diggs isn’t able to play, LSU will then likely turn to [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag], as well as true freshmen [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag]. [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag], who saw quite a bit of action in Diggs’ absence last week, was lost early in the game with a torn ACL that will cost him the remainder of the season.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Josh Williams to join Kaulig Racing for 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season

Kaulig Racing announced on Thursday morning that Josh Williams will drive the No. 11 Xfinity car for the organization in 2024.

Another underdog story in NASCAR has been given life. On Thursday morning, [autotag]Kaulig Racing[/autotag] announced that [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] will drive the No. 11 Xfinity car in 2024. This comes after Daniel Hemric, who drove the entry for the last two seasons, was elevated to the NASCAR Cup Series to replace Justin Haley in the No. 31 car.

Williams was full-time with DGM Racing in 2023 and has spent the last six years in lower-tier equipment. Now, the 30-year-old driver undoubtedly has the best full-time equipment in his career. Williams is the first driver officially announced for Kaulig Racing’s Xfinity Series program and it came as a surprise to many in the sport.

Overall, this is a great partnership for both sides as Kaulig Racing has been known to give drivers a shot in NASCAR. Williams is the next driver to receive an opportunity and it will be fascinating to track his progress in top-tier equipment. It may take some time; however, Williams could compete for wins during the 2024 NASCAR season.

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Watch: Over the weekend, Rutgers football offered a 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive lineman who is also a sprinter (and runs the 100 meters)

Rutgers football offered Josh Williams, an offensive lineman with rare speed.

Mekhi Becton, move over. Pennsylvania offensive lineman Joshua Williams might have you beat. Williams was offered by Rutgers over the weekend and is not only an impressively sized offensive lineman, but the prospect can really move.

Williams, who checks in at a Big Ten-ready 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, is also a sprinter at Haverford School (Haverford, Pennsylvania). He runs a sub-13 seconds time in the 100 meters.

Rutgers is now officially involved along with offers from Boston College, Cal, Cincinnati, Duke, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

The speed from Williams, at his size, is impressive. No wonder the class of 2025 prospect is becoming one of the top recruits in the nation.

 

At the 2020 NFL combine, Becton wowed NFL teams with a 5.1 time in the 40, running that at a size of 6-foot-7 and 364 pounds. He would go on to become a first-round pick of the New York Jets.

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A three-star recruit, he is the No. 13 prospect in Pennsylvania and the No. 20 interior offensive lineman nationally per 247Sports.,