This Guy Plays Notre Dame Football: #2 Dexter Williams

We don’t have a #1 on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish roster, so we begin with the player that wears #2: Dexter Williams. Dexter is a running back from Winter Garden, Fla. He’s entering his junior year, and he is starting to make more of an impact in the backfield as each season passes.

Dexter keeps progressing, and that is seen by his overall stats. Dexter carried the ball 21 times in his freshman season for only 81 yards. Last year, though, he ran for exactly 200 yards with 3 touchdowns. Even though he was part of the infamous “Fulton Five,” he still seemed to be in good graces of the team and the university, so it did not have much bearing on his playing time. He should see very significant playing time, and that should be a good sign for Fighting Irish fans.

3 Things to Know about Dexter Williams:

1. He shows some strong running skills through tackles, making him a potential good mix of a power and agility back.
2. He is second on the depth chart, meaning that he should be seeing decent playing time especially if the Fighting Irish run a split back set or put two in the backfield when Brandon Wimbush goes under center. He could show himself to be a great backup when he needs to sub in for Josh Adams at the #1 back position.
3. Dexter was a 4-star recruit out of Florida, and he is seemingly showing that same promise as when he was recruited.

YouTube Hot Fire

(This play was so fire, it was like Dexter dropped his mix tape on Met Life Stadium):

I, MattyG, Dub Thee...

D-Will, the Switchboard of the Backfield (Get it? Because Dexter switched field on that play, and a switch board has switches...)

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

2017 Forecast

As briefly mentioned above, Williams has the potential to have a really strong season. He began his breakout last season, but it didn’t fully come to fruition. This season could be the breakout he needs for himself and for the Fighting Irish. If the Blue-Gold Game is any inclination (132 all-purpose yards and 1 TD), then Williams should provide some entertainment for Fighting Irish fans this season. We already know we don’t put too much stock in the offensive leader of the Blue-Gold Game (see my last article). However, Dexter shows himself to be a true talent.

From his highlights, Dexter shows some poise and determination when he has the football. He has decent size, and that equates to breaking tackles and the ability to bowl over defenses. However, his agility is always improving, and he still can move across the field seemingly with ease. Brian Kelly and Chip Long should be thrilled with the output that Dexter could give the Notre Dame offense. Combined with the running and passing attack that Wimbush provides the offense, Dexter Williams should succeed as the #2 back and sometimes the #1 back. Be on the lookout for Dexter Williams in the 2017 season.