SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame running back Aneyas Williams spent his first two college seasons waiting for a chance to prove himself. Then last winter, he had right elbow surgery and considered transferring.
Eventually, Williams decided to come back to South Bend to show he could replace not one, but two NFL first-round draft picks.
On Sunday, Williams is expected to make his long-awaited first college start when the No. 4 Fighting Irish face Wisconsin
at historic Lambeau Field, and it's starting to feel more like what Williams envisioned when he chose Notre Dame.
“I didn’t feel right,” he said when asked about changing schools. “I came here for a reason. This degree means something to me, but also these people mean something more to me."
He added: “With (Jadarian Price and Jeremiyah Love) gone, obviously the opportunity is there. We’re looking to replace these guys. We’re not looking to take any steps back at all in the running back room.”
It certainly hasn't been the journey most top-ranked recruits map out.
The prep star from Hannibal, Missouri watched Love hurdle his way into Heisman Trophy contention, and along with Price, field one of the top running duos in Notre Dame's storied history. They led the Irish to the national championship game in January 2025 and were good enough to keep Notre Dame in playoff contention after last season's 0-2 start on their way to becoming the first running back tandem from the same school to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
But playing behind those two meant Williams was essentially relegated to spot or mop-up duty, and in today's college transfer environment that means other schools can offer more money, more playing time or both.
Williams called the experience “exciting" though the chance to team up with incumbent starting quarterback CJ Carr as the cornerstones of Notre Dame's offense was even more enticing.
“I want (people) to see the player that I can and have been,” he said. “You know, since I’ve been here, I might have taken a back seat, but I learned a lot in those years. Now, to just apply it and bring it to the field, and give these younger guys someone to look up to like I had, that’s the biggest thing.”
Williams showed his potential in 2024, playing in 13 games, rushing for 219 yards and logging another 172 yards receiving. Last year, the 5-foot-10, 210-pound Williams appeared in all 12 games but had just 24 carries for 224 yards and finished with five TDs.
His biggest game came in Notre Dame's season finale when he rushed 10 times for 83 yards, caught two passes for 40 yards and scored twice including a 51-yard TD run in 49-20 rout over Stanford. When the Irish were left out of the 12-team playoff, the team elected not to appear in a bowl game.
Williams knows the outside world remains skeptical of what Notre Dame's offense will look like without Love and Price, though he dismisses any suggestion the Irish runners can't get the job done.
"I’d be silly to say I don’t hear it,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot about how the running back room is going to be the weak spot, and I think you take that and use it. I think that’s the message that we’ve used in the running back room, and (running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider) has put on us.”
And Seider has no doubt Williams has always had what it takes.
“He has a know-how of what’s going on around him,” Seider said, noting Williams was one of last season's leaders. “He knows the big picture. He’s very similar to what CJ has as a quarterback. He can see the rotation of the safety. He can see the front change, and he can anticipate, which to me, that is what makes a great running back, to be able anticipate what’s going on around him and evade.”
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