Notre Dame football: Kyren Williams declares, won’t play in Fiesta Bowl
The Notre Dame football team will not only be without Kyren Williams next season but also for the Fiesta Bowl, as he declared for the NFL on Friday.
Notre Dame football running back Kyren Williams has declared for the NFL Draft. The move isn’t a surprise, as Williams is one of the best running backs in the country and because running backs don’t have long careers, now is the time to go pro to maximize his career.
Kyren Williams wrote, “These past three years will be forever imprinted on my heart,” to begin his note declaring for the draft.
This means that Kyren Williams won’t be available for the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State. A big blow to the offensive balance to be sure. The Irish are losing one of the best pass-blocking running backs, who can return kicks and catch passes as well. That’s before you consider how explosive Kyren Williams is as a rusher, who breaks tackles without much effort it seems.
How does this affect Notre Dame football in the Fiesta Bowl?
In the Fiesta Bowl, look for a blend between Chris Tyree and Logan Diggs. Tyree has explosive speed and he can dominate in the return game. That will be very important, especially since Notre Dame hasn’t had him for large chunks of the seasons due to a nagging turf toe injury. As for his part, Logan Diggs is an incredibly promising freshman running back.
Coming in on a rotational basis, in particular when Tyree was injured, Diggs showed a lot of raw talent.
This will be an important game to find the proper balance between these two too. After all, unless Marcus Freeman hits the transfer portal hard, then these two will be next year’s top backs. When will you have a better chance to try and figure out these rotations?
As for Kyren Williams, he should be able to find a home in the NFL relatively easily. He’s versatile, so NFL teams should have room for him. On top of that, there is a tendency to carry multiple backs, rather than a workhorse in the NFL. Williams fits that mold well.