Antonio

Williams

Williams (5'11/215) wasn’t doing much on the pure yardage front, but punched in short touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters to add to a masterly bludgeoning by the offense as a whole. The senior finishes out his final collegiate season having rushed for 322 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games. While Williams never rushed for more than 505 yards in a campaign, he has shown a bit of bounce in his game. On to the spring draft process, now. An actual selection will be a long shot, though we wouldn’t be floored if Williams performs respectably in athletic testing and the like.

Williams has been a secondary player for the Tar Heels for most of 2019 -- and it’s worth pointing out that Williams was quoted as “having concerns” about the Air Raid offense -- but the tailback was able to have his best game of the season against the Panthers; albeit in a loss. That’s not saying a ton however, as Williams had just two games over 50 yards coming into this one. Expect him to continue to split carries next Saturday against Mercer with Michael Carter.

Williams said he was “a little bothered” when hearing the Tar Heels brought in a coaching staff that wanted to run the air raid. Head coach Mack Brown “promised to help Williams do whatever it takes to improve his draft stock for 2020" and after more research, Williams realized the air-raid could actually open up more holes for him. Williams expects to take another step forward after rushing for 504 yards last season.

Williams (5'11/212) used his fresh legs -- he was ejected in Week 2 for targeting and then had last week’s contest cancelled -- to reach the 100 rushing yard mark for the first time in his career. The Ohio State transfer put the first points on the board on a 37-yard touchdown run in the first, and then scored on a leaping goal line carry in the second quarter. Williams is now averaging a robust 7.3 YPC on the year but will get a tougher matchup on the road at Miami next Thursday.

Williams was hoping to secure the backup role to Mike Weber, but due to his hamstring concern, he may have fallen behind J.K. Dobbins and Demario McCall on the depth chart. The 5-foot-11, 212-pounder will need a strong August camp if he is to remain relevant in this backup race.

Williams was once-upon-a-time committed to Big Ten rival Wisconsin, but Ohio State managed to lure him over to the dark side after he visited the campus in October. The 5-foot-11, 212-pounder is a possible 2016 contributor, particularly with Ezekiel Elliott waving bye-bye and heading to the darft. Williams falls into yer classic “more quick than fast” mode. He’s also a bulldozer who should carry his fair share of piles over the course of his Buckeye career.

Williams (5'11/212) enrolled with Ohio State as a four-star running back in the 2016 recruiting class. After playing sparingly as a true freshman, he came on to post 290 rushing yards (5.1 YPC) and three touchdowns while working backup duty behind J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber. Buckeyes RB coach Tony Alford said prior to the team’s spring game that Williams had “really, really improved his game from top to bottom” and that he had been “very professional” about his role in the running backs rotation. He’ll have to sit out the 2018 season with North Carolina, but will have two years eligibility remaining come the start of the 2019 campaign.

During a 32-yard reception by WR Anthony Ratliff-Williams, Williams delivered a devastating block to ECU CB Colby Gore with the defensive back needing medical attention. Williams was listed as one of three options at tailback on North Carolina’s depth chart ahead of Saturday’s game, with junior Jordon Brown and sophomore Michael Carter being the others. He ends the game with 96 yards on six carries and will be forced to miss the first half of next weeks’ match up against UCF.

Williams (5'11/212) would have been required to sit out the coming season due to transfer regulations had this waiver request not been granted. The former four-star prospect opted for a move on from Ohio State over the winter before landing at North Carolina in April. While OSU’s coaching staff talked up his overall improvement in the spring, the Buckeyes are loaded to the gills with running backs talent and the carries just weren’t going to be there without injury. He’ll have a better shot at shaking touches loose at UNC, where he’ll be competing for playing time with Jordon Brown and Michael Carter. This figures to be an active competition next month.