One Notre Dame football running back has Deland McCullough raving

The Notre Dame football team has a bit of a logjam at running back. With the departure of Audric Estime to the NFL, there’s an open question as to which of their talented backs will step up and become “the guy.”

It appears one player is starting to set himself apart from the pack. And if he continues to look as good as he has in the few practices the Fighting Irish have staged so far, Aneyas Williams could be the guy in 2024.

So far, the freshman running back has shown enough to get quite a bit of attention from Notre Dame football running backs coach Deland McCullough. In fact, his position coach raved about him after one recent practice.

Notre Dame football could have starting running back stepping up

“Aneyas Williams is an ascending player,” the Irish RB coach told the media last week. “Guy almost benched 400 pounds already. He's doing some really good things for us. I'm extremely excited about him.”

Williams, of course, came to South Bend as someone the coaching staff hoped would be among the best in the country. The former 4-star prospect out of Hannibal, Missouri was billed as the second coming of one Kyren Williams. 

That former Irish running back is currently plying his trade with the Los Angeles Rams after rushing for over 1,000 yards in his second NFL season despite sitting out for games due to injury.

247Sports’ Allen Trieu is among the people who thought that Aneyas Williams could be a weapon right away in his scouting report:

“Compact, sturdy build. All-around back who can catch the ball and line up as a slot. Shows vision and acceleration as a runner. Is not just a pass catcher as far as screens and swing passes, but can actually run downfield routes and wins contested balls despite not being a taller target.”

The freshman still has a ways to go before he even locks down a starting spot for the Notre Dame football team. However, he’s caught the eye of the right people in his first fall camp in South Bend. He’s one to watch as we approach the team’s season opener.