Notre Dame Football: Kyren Williams will be a top-10 Irish rusher
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team got an outstanding season from Kyren Williams in 2020, and in 2021, he could move into the top-10 in rushing yards all-time.
For the Notre Dame football program, they could not have asked for a better season from redshirt freshman Kyren Williams in 2020. All the young running back did was rush for over 1,000 yards, take home the ACC’s Offensive Freshman of the Year honor, and be named second-team All-ACC.
That helped this team dominate the regular season, earning a spot in the ACC title game, and eventually as one of the four teams selected for the College Football Playoff. For the season, Williams rushed for 1,125 yards, scoring 13 rushing touchdowns, while also hauling in over 300 receiving yards and three scores in the passing game.
With that kind of effort, Williams showed he could be a three-down back at the next level, and with another good year in South Bend, he could declare for the 2022 NFL Draft. Before that, Williams has a chance to be a top-10 rusher all-time for the school, needing only a little over 1,200 yards to do that.
In a full 12-game regular season, there is no reason why he cannot get there.
Notre Dame football to rely on Williams in 2021
Heading into the 2021 season, Williams is already considered one of the top returning running backs in the country, and for good reason. He is entering his redshirt sophomore season after a dominating run as the team’s feature back in 2020, helping the Irish to an undefeated regular season.
As Ian Book heads to the NFL and tries to win a job with the New Orleans Saints, the offense should focus heavily on the running backs. Williams is widely considered one of the best in college football, and he has some solid depth behind him in Chris Tyree, as well as true freshmen Audric Estime and Logan Diggs to name a few.
Notre Dame football has won ten or more games in each of the last four seasons, and based on what their schedule looks like, they should win way more than they lose in 2021. Of course, it all depends on how quickly Jack Coan can take over the offense, and how good the revamped offensive line is, but in Williams, they have an elite back who will once again be a 1,000-yard rusher.