This Guy Plays Notre Dame Football: #23 Kyren Williams Running Back

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about them all. One Foot Down’s player profile series will, once again, 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 2021 season.

#23 Kyren Williams, RB

St. Louis, Missouri native Kyren Williams came to South Bend as a three-star recruit out of St. John Vianney High School. Williams chose Notre Dame ahead of offers from Michigan, Stanford, Wisconsin and Michigan State. As a high school senior, Williams snagged 2,035 rushing yards, 725 receiving yards, and 40 TDs to make the 247Sports.com rankings as the No. 22 running back in the nation and the No. 6 player from Missouri.

As a freshman at Notre Dame, this running back had four rushes for 26 yards over the Louisville, New Mexico, Georgia and Virginia games. He found himself pretty well buried on the depth chart, but his transition to his second season marked a night and day shift.

Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images

As a sophomore, he demanded attention and rushed 1,125 yards over the season. Williams proved himself an impact player in high-pressure and rivalry games. Namely, in his showing against the Clemson Tigers, Williams chalked up three touchdowns and 23 rushes for 140 yards. His performance against the Tigers earned him the title of ACC Running Back of the Week.

The Restaurant That Fits

For those St. Louis roots, we’re going with Panera. As the seasons change, few adapt as well as this fast casual chain. Now I want turkey chili...

2021 Outlook

Williams has kept a focus on pass catching in spring practices. In the coming season, the coaching staff will bank on Williams’ chops as a receiver as well as his finding the right flow with C’Bo Flemister and Chris Tyree. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees plans to get after it from all angles and has expressed plans to get as much use out of Williams as possible no matter how the backfield will look in the season ahead. Rest assured though — Notre Dame has a number one back in Williams, and will count on his running ability to help carry this team in 2021. One other particular thing of importance, is Kyren’s amazing blocking capabilities — especially against the blitz — which will probably be of great use with an inexperienced offensive line.

Follow me on Twitter.