Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State is only two days away
To preview one of the most anticipated games for Notre Dame this century and the official start of the Marcus Freeman era, BlueandGold.com has been counting down the days to the matchup against Ohio State on Saturday.
This daily series of 99 stories celebrated by the numbers some of the most notable names, dates, moments and memories related to the past and present of Notre Dame football.
Today, with only two days remaining until kickoff, we look at the better-late-than-never career of Dexter Williams.
The former Fighting Irish tailback wore the No. 2 jersey for Notre Dame from 2015-18 and became a NFL Draft pick in 2019.
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One notable trend during the Notre Dame coaching career of Brian Kelly was that most years, an unknown senior tailback would come out of nowhere, lead the Irish in rushing and become a NFL Draft pick.
That was the course that Williams took during his Notre Dame career and his senior season in 2018.
In his first three years from 2015 thru 2017, Williams never tallied more than 39 carries in a single season, nor more than eight totes in any game. Not much of a profile.
And even when his senior season arrived in 2018, the cards were stacked against Williams when he was suspended for the first four games of that season for violating a team rule.
No matter, known for his positive outlook and dedication to his team, Williams paid his penance and returned with a vengeance.
In only nine games, Williams still led Notre Dame in 2018 with 995 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
Welcome back
Williams wasted no time busting onto the scene, then he never left the scene that season.
On his first carry in 2018 upon his return from suspension, Williams broke a 45-yard touchdown run versus Stanford that helped Notre Dame to a 38-17 win.
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A week later against Virginia Tech, Williams scored on a 97-yard run that helped break the game open.
And finally, in the season finale at USC, Williams’ 52-yard touchdown run helped the Irish to a hard-fought 24-17 win that secured a place in the College Football Playoff.
Williams later explained that his suspension made him a better teammate, a better player, and a better person.
“I don’t like to let my teammates down, I don’t like to let my family down,” Williams said. “It was just that time I needed to grow up and become a man, so I just dealt with the consequences and kept my head up.”
For his Notre Dame career, Williams tallied 1,636 rushing yards and 162 receiving yards with 22 total touchdowns.
His 6.37-yard per-carry average still ranks fifth all-time at Notre Dame in a career that meant everything to Williams.
The next chapter
Williams was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2019 draft and has become a journeyman and mainly a practice player since.
Williams has made seven stops among five different NFL teams.
Most recently, Williams joined the Packers for a second go-around but was cut Wednesday and failed to make the 53-man roster.
Williams hasn’t played in a live NFL game since 2020 and has 7 career carries for 19 yards.
That said, never count Williams out.
