Former Baylor Bears RB Sqwirl Williams Commits to Louisiana Tech
Former Baylor running back Sqwirl Williams announced on Twitter Monday he will be joining Sonny Cumbie's Louisiana Tech Bulldogs for the 2023 season after five years with the Bears.
In four seasons at Baylor (he missed the entirety of the 2019 season with a knee injury), Williams ran for 779 yards and seven touchdowns. His magnum opus came back in November, when he gashed the Oklahoma Sooners for 192 yards and two touchdowns, saving the Bears as the flu ran through their running back room and sending the Sooner faithful into stunned silence in Norman as Baylor prevailed, 38-35.
Sqwirl Williams is hitting the transfer portal.
— Cam Stuart (@realcamstuart) January 13, 2023
Really too bad, I loved how his role evolved and was excited to see what he could bring next year.
5 years of service to Baylor and we’ll always have this awesome, cold as heck play to seal a career game in Norman. #SicEm pic.twitter.com/TO5AH3rNkU
Williams served a valuable role as Baylor's third down back this season, providing a little speed and shiftiness to complement Richard Reese's hard running, but his career was limited due to injuries. In his freshman season in 2018, before redshirt players were allowed to appear in four games and keep their status, Williams got just two touches, but one went for a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of a win over Kansas State.
After missing the entire 2019 season which saw the Bears go to the Sugar Bowl, Williams led the team in rushing in 2020 with only 188 yards and missed the last month of an instantly forgettable 2-7 season with another injury.
Despite the injuries, Williams has secured cult status among Bears fans thanks in large part to his heroic performance at Oklahoma. In his two most important games as a Bear, the freshman year clutch touchdown against Kansas State and the dominance against the Sooners this season, Williams almost single-handedly wrapped up Baylor victories. Both seasons, the Bears just barely notched bowl eligibility at 6-6, thanks in no small part to Williams.
With Williams officially gone to Ruston, defensive end TJ Franklin becomes the only on-field contributor left from the Matt Rhule era.
Follow Cameron Stuart on Twitter
Want the latest in breaking and insider news for the Baylor Bears? Click Here
Follow Inside the Bears on Twitter and Facebook
Make sure to subscribe to our daily podcast @LockedOnBaylor today! Click here To Listen.
Want even more Baylor Bears News? Check out the SI.com team page here
Covering Baylor for Inside The Bears and the Locked on Baylor podcast. You can follow me for more Baylor content at @realcamstuart on Twitter. Originally from Rockland, Massachusetts and a Baylor alum, so I might mix the occasional bias and/or Boston sports tweet in there every once in a while.