Taye McWilliams Makes Bold Claim About Running Back Room

Bears RB says unit could end up being "the best in the nation."

Whoever will be featured as the main running back for the Baylor Bears this year will have a lot to live up to.

The Bears' rushing attack was lethal in 2021, with first-year starter Abram Smith only setting the program's all-time single-season rushing record and Trestan Ebner finishing off his Baylor career with the second most all-purpose yards in school history.

Some Bears think junior running back Taye McWilliams brings a little bit of both players to his game.

"I think he's a little bit of a combination of Abram (Smith) and Trestan (Ebner)," Bears offensive lineman Grant Miller said. "I see glimpses of speed from him where he can outrun guys, but he's also not afraid to lower his shoulder and run some guys over."

McWilliams does have a track background from his high school days when he was also one of the top running back recruits in Texas his senior year.

He saw action in 10 games in 2021, but only got 17 rushing attempts. In a limited role, he scored two touchdowns on the season and ran for over 100 yards in a game against Texas Southern.

"I feel like I'm a 'tweener' type of guy who can do a bit of everything," McWilliams said. "I'm a hard worker and I'm just trying to get it done."

McWilliams seems to be the favorite to be the feature back, but it's not unreasonable to think the Bears could feature three or four backs pretty regularly in 2022. The Bears certainly believe in the depth they have at that position.

"We really have a chance to be the best running back room in the country," McWilliams said. "We're going to impress and surprise a lot of people this year."

McWilliams will be sharing carries with senior Josh Fleeks and junior Sqwirl Williams. Fleeks has played more than 40 games for the Bears over his career, mostly at wide receiver, while Williams led the team with over nine yards per carry in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see these guys surpass [Smith and Ebner] someday," Miller said of the current running backs."I think their ceiling is really high."

The Bears have admitted they'd like to pass more this year than they did in 2021, but they have plenty of options in the run game. At least the players think so.

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