When Marcus Freeman announced that Aneyas Williams was "limited" this spring, he also rolled out the Notre Dame football team's mantra of "next man up." However, the Irish running back wants fans to know that while he's indeed limited this spring, he's not going to miss out this fall.
Earlier this week, Williams talked about why he is limited this spring and how close he is to forging a comeback. On the latter, he said he's actually ahead of schedule in recovering from his elbow surgery. He added that while he's technically "limited" this spring, it's not as though he's anywhere close to sitting out the action or missing practices.
“I’ve been doing everything," the presumptive RB1 for Notre Dame said after one practice. "There hasn’t been much restriction. The red jersey is so guys take it a little bit easier but I’m still in there, getting all the team reps."
Aneyas Williams says Notre Dame football fans should not worry about his limited spring role
Williams said his spring mindset is one of “understanding the opportunity at hand and taking full advantage of it.” He knows that with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price gone to the NFL, most people think the starting running back job is his. However, it's worth noting that Kedren Young is expecting to be full go this fall.
Young was Williams before Williams was around, but he missed the entire 2025 season with a torn ACL. That allowed Aneyas to step in and be the man who got the carries when Price and Love needed a breather. Young is out this spring, but expects to compete for time when the season rolls around.
Nolan James Jr. is also impressing coaches while Young and Williams recover. Despite the Irish knowing they have big shoes to fill, it looks like Notre Dame will have a full and complete backfield, no matter who wins the job. Opponents should take note of that, and be very worried.