Former Gamecock RB a ‘big hit on campus,’ Arkansas coach says

He graduated with one remaining year of eligibility, and he was staring at a South Carolina running back depth chart loaded with Rico Dowdle, A.J. Turner and the now-eligible Ty’Son Williams, so nobody begrudged David Williams transferring to play that final year elsewhere.

In fact, they welcomed it – Williams had some memorable carries at USC but most of them weren’t.

Williams announced he was heading to Connecticut. Fare thee well, David.

On June 16, he changed his mind. Now he’s enrolled at Arkansas.

Which plays at South Carolina on Oct. 7.

Does the name Kenny Irons ring a bell?

“It’s all fun and games on the field,” Irons chided in 2006, after scampering for 117 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-17 win over the Gamecocks in Columbia (he also scored two touchdowns in a 48-7 massacre against USC on the Plains a year earlier). It was easy for him to say that.

He was on the winning side both games, after transferring to Auburn from USC following the 2003 season. Put out with coach Lou Holtz ignoring him, the leading returning rusher from 2002, in favor of chosen-one tailback Demetris Summers, Irons left and spent 2005 and 2006 punishing the Gamecocks – without Holtz – for the transgression.

Auburn remains the only member of the 12-team SEC the Gamecocks haven’t beaten since joining the conference in 1992. They’ve defeated Arkansas nine times, including the last two times they’ve played (2012 and 2013).

They’d like to make that three times. And while Williams doesn’t tote the credentials that Irons had into the season, it’s definitely a game to circle.

“I knew he was a grad transfer, he knows exactly what we’re going to do in the SEC here, so I kind of reached out from that point forward and rekindled that relationship with him,” Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said. “Very mature, very talented. I knew a couple of coaches on (Steve) Spurrier’s staff that had recruited David so I reached out to them to kind of see what was going on at South Carolina.”

At USC, Williams was a four-star back who never lived up to his billing. He rushed for 239 yards on 56 carries with three touchdowns in 2016, but the highest output of his career was 299 yards on 86 carries in 2015.

Shortly after he was hired, USC running backs coach Bobby Bentley said he watched every carry Williams had and wondered if he was running with his eyes closed. It just didn’t seem like a guy with so much build and speed should trip over the yard lines as much as Williams did.

At Arkansas, Williams will join RBU (“Running Backs University”), as Bielema has brought his Big Ten mentality to the Razorbacks. Bielema has had a 1,000-yard rusher for the past 11 seasons, but an act of God in the spring cast 2017’s addition to the streak in doubt.

Rawleigh Williams was coming back after leading the SEC in rushing last year, piling up 1,360 yards with 12 touchdowns and averaging a robust 5.6 yards per carry. But Williams suffered a neck injury in the spring, and after missing the entire 2015 season due to another neck injury, he gave up football.

David Williams can step into that void. While sophomore Devwah Whaley should be the workhorse back, Bielema spreads the carries around. The Hogs’ other tailbacks, Chase Hayden and Maleek Williams, may play but they’re freshmen.

Bielema knew David Williams from the recruiting trail, Williams visiting Wisconsin when the coach was there. He credited Will Muschamp for letting Williams transfer without restrictions and said he fits right in.

“He’s been a big hit on campus. Made a great influence,” Bielema said. “Very excited to have him in our program.”

This story was originally published July 10, 2017 at 2:25 PM with the headline "Former Gamecock RB a ‘big hit on campus,’ Arkansas coach says."