This Guy Plays Notre Dame Football: #2 Dexter Williams

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about all of them. One Foot Down’s player profile series will take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2018 season.

#2 Dexter Williams

There isn’t a player on the roster that invokes more raw emotion when discussing playing time than Dexter. That’s really saying something considering Notre Dame fans are at one another’s neck because of a quarterback competition. Almost every fan believes that Williams should have had more carries in 2017, and the expectations for 2018 are becoming more and more grandiose.

To be fair to both Brian Kelly and Chip Long, they had a Josh Adams in their pocket, and Dexter couldn’t stay healthy. Because of the nature of injuries in college football, it’s hard for anyone to say when Dexter was truly healthy to play last season, but the Irish (and her faithful) absolutely NEED Williams to finally ascend as the main running back for Notre Dame.

3 Things To Know About Dexter Williams

1. Dexter has only played in 26 games during his three seasons with the Irish. Again... injuries have played a huge role here. It’s what has been so incredibly frustrating over the years - especially when you see him run for over 9 yards a carry.
2. Williams might have been Notre Dame’s best special teams player in 2017 - at least for a little bit. As a gunner, Dexter used his speed to get down and cover the kick, and showed surprisingly excellent instinct, and tackled very well.
3. It has been suggested by some in the media that it wasn’t just injuries that kept Dexter on the sidelines, but also his knowledge of the playbook. The “pass-blocking” thing seems true, but not knowing the nuances of the playbook would be a better reason.

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Country, Condiment, Or Canon

Identifying the player as either a country, condiment, or member of the Star Wars Canon.

Avocado. Dexter Williams is basically an avocado. He is a superfood that people always want to have, but perhaps isn’t built for every meal. He’s delicious with about anything that he’s paired up with, but overuse can cause his effectiveness to knock your socks off to wear thin. If he isn’t used properly and in the right time, he can be both hard an uncompliant, or a rotten mess.

2018 Forecast

It’s extremely hard to really know what is in store for Dexter. Can he stay healthy? Can the staff trust his knowledge of the playbook? Can he pass block? For me, I say they should just give Dexter the damn ball. Williams is probably the most athletically gifted running back that Notre Dame has had since Julius Jones. No one else at the position has the ability to break a game wide open.

I’ll go with the optimistic route while we are sitting here in May. Dexter stays healthy, and the staff stops being so finicky about all the non-running the ball stuff. Williams won’t break the 9 YPC mark, but he will rush for over 1100 yards and 10 touchdowns. Notre Dame leans on him and Dexter stands tall.