Williams Looks Physically Ready, Can the Freshman RB Contribute to the Knights this Fall?

Few Freshman running backs find a way into the rotation during their first season in college. It’s difficult from a physical and mental standpoint. UCF running back Anthony Williams could be headed towards playing time, however, and it’s going to be interesting to see how he develops this fall.

Brian Smith | Aug 12, 2021

Williams Looks Physically Ready, Can the Freshman RB Contribute to the Knights this Fall? /

Sometimes it’s just easy to look at a player and know he’s putting in the time in the weight room. That first glance at a player, then a second look. Who’s that?

That defines Anthony Williams. The freshman running back caught the attention of Inside The Knights today, and he’s definitely a player to watch throughout the 2021 college football season. Here's a photo of Williams during his senior season of high school:

Anthony Williams

Vitals: 6’0”, 215-pounds

Position: Running Back

High School: Altamonte Springs (Fla.) Lake Brantley

Class: Freshman

Could a Freshman Running Back Truly Make an Impact on the Depth Chart?

When UCF signed Anthony Williams from Lake Brantley, few knew he would physically develop the way he did to date. After scouting Wiliams in the spring of 2020 and watching him play versus Apopka High School last fall, both times he was under 200-pounds or not much over it. Now, he looks transformed. He’s put in the time to train his body in the weight room and added proper nutrition.

Not only did Williams add weight, he changed his body fat percentage. That's important for his ability to break tackles and block (see below). Now, a comparison is in order.

Check out the following photograph where he walked with fellow UCF running back Mark Antony-Richards. The latter was always physically imposing, even coming out of high school before he went to Auburn or transferred to UCF.

Anthony Williams (#20) and Mark Antony-Richards (#6)

Seeing this photograph provides insight not only into UCF’s improved strength and conditioning program, but Williams himself. Committing to this type of physical transformation is not easy. Antony-Richards is a powerfully built athlete. Williams looks quite similar, and he's two years younger.

Williams looked good last fall, and much stronger, than he did during the spring of 2020. With that stated, he’s now more physically ready to help the Knights at some point this season. Playing college football will always be difficult, but the physical pounding that running backs take is well documented. Williams’ frame is now one of those select few that could turn into a bell cow running back, i.e. capable of carrying 15-20 times per game and withstanding the traditional punishment the position commands, including pass protection.

Can Williams Pass Protect?

This is the category that usually swallows up freshman running backs by the dozen. Envision the following. You are placed 8-10 yards from a bigger, stronger, athlete that’s given an opportunity to run directly at you. Now, you must hold your ground, keep that opposing athlete from running you over and/or keep him away from the quarterback that’s roughly one to two yards away from you.

Not easy.

Even experienced college running backs get flattened by linebackers and defensive ends in this situation. Regardless, for Williams or any other running back to play significant snaps this fall, keeping quarterback Dillon Gabriel upright is a must. We shall see if Williams is up to the task.

The Playbook is the Final Frontier

The other area that must be addressed involves a commitment away from the Nicholson Athletic Complex, and quite frankly, away from the UCF Football program in general. Williams needs to be able to grasp the basic concepts of the offense, truly know the nuances of specific formation packages, and eventually be capable of playing in several different situations including understanding all the checks at the line of scrimmage. To do that it will take research during his free time. The last point is often a sticking point for a freshman running back.

Watching a practice will not provide any insight into whether Williams can understand what’s going on with the playbook or grasp a scheme. Everyone will need to see if he enters game action versus Boise State on Sep. 2 or any game thereafter. Considering Williams’ ability to grind in the weight room during the last year, it’s safe to say he’s motivated. Now let’s see if that motivation translates to playing time.

What Williams Does Best

During his prep playing days, Williams was a speedy side-to-side runner that would also lower his pads and grind out extra yardage after contact. To be clear, Williams long since proved he could leave defenders grasping at air. He’s really quick. The quickness of Williams was his penchant for making big plays, however.

During high school, it was obvious that Williams was a pure athlete, but as recently as his junior year, he could have been projected as a wide receiver, running back, or free safety. His frame was built for any of those three, depending on how he developed moving forward.

Well, the size obviously came with hard work and natural progression. Now that lateral quickness is also blessed with more power behind Williams’ pads. In short, he will be much more difficult to bring down after the added muscle mass, and barring a direct shot to the midsection of Williams, few defensive players will easily tackle this freshman running back.

Combining Skills, Running Between the Tackles

Size and athleticism have now been established. Can Williams read the blocks and hit the holes? Can he grind out those tough yet very important two yard gains that help an offense eek out first downs and keep the chains moving?

In UCF Head Coach Gus Malzahn’s offense, the running back that’s best at hitting the inside running lanes and keeps a defense honest have long since been the running backs that played the most. Perhaps Williams will be one of the running backs that now pushes for playing time, or at least does so before season’s end.

Final Thoughts

Whether Williams sees significant playing time this fall or not is hard to project. Williams is a very skilled athlete that’s filling out his frame and looks the part of a junior or senior college running back. If he’s capable of blocking and picking up UCF’s scheme, this young man is likely to see game action this fall despite a talented backfield.

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