STARKVILLE — Aeris Williams found the hole, turned upfield, and saw two defenders in his way.
Like he had done on numerous occasions, Williams didn’t hesitate and crashed into the linebackers, driving them 6 yards past the point of contact and turning an innocent run into a 9-yard gain.
To prove it wasn’t an aberration, Williams got up and did it again.
That sequence played out Friday at the Mississippi State football team’s scrimmage. It was a perfect example of what MSU coaches and fans see in the redshirt freshman tailback from West Point.
For Williams, it was just another run. For those watching, it was a glimpse into MSU’s future at tailback.
“He runs hard. We knew he was going to do that,” MSU coach Dan Mullen said after the scrimmage. “He’s doing everything right. Once he gets a little older, he’ll get there. He’s right where he needs to be.”
In his first spring practice at MSU, the former Mr. Football from West Point High School has settled into his role as part of the next wave of MSU running backs. Dontavian Lee, another redshirt freshman, ran for 74 yards and scored twice, while the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Williams had 19 carries for 97 yards and a 7-yard touchdown reception.
When asked to describe his running style, Williams smiled and said, “Me and (Lee) like to say we drop the mic whenever we have a good run, so when I get finished with a big run like that, it’s like I drop the mic and walk off stage.”
His scrimmage performance backed up that confidence.
Turning hype into production
Williams arrived in Starkville last June on the strength of one of the greatest careers in West Point High football history. As a senior, he rushed for 2,122 yards and 21 touchdowns to cap a three-year career with more than 5,000 yards. His success made him a four-star prospect by recruiting service 247sports.com and one of the most decorated signees in MSU’s class of 2014.
At West Point High, those who coached him believe it’s a matter of time before Williams proves he can deliver in college.
“He’s the kind of kid who can’t be stopped from being successful,” West Point High football coach Chris Chambless said. “He’s just a naturally gifted athlete. You look at his size and his speed, and he’s a perfect running back. But with Aeris, it’s about so much more than just his measurables. You’re talking about a great student, a great kid who happens to be one of the hardest workers we’ve had. He does everything the right way.”
Williams committed to MSU prior to the start of his senior season and never wavered. He signing with the Bulldogs in February 2014.
More than a year later, Williams was asked about his decision.
“I’m definitely happy I came here,” Williams said. “It’s family-based. They want you to become the best football player you can become, but they also want you to become a man on and off the field. That’s my focus.”
When Williams arrived for fall practice, the Bulldogs were flush with options at tailback.
There was projected starter Josh Robinson, who rushed for 1,203 yards and 14 touchdowns. There also was sophomore Ashton Shumpert, who possesses a similar build to Williams and showed up three years ago with a similar recruiting buzz. There was change-of-pace back Brandon Holloway, who flashed big-play ability and finished third among MSU backs in rushing in 2014.
Their presence left Lee and Williams on the periphery, fighting for carries after the older backs — not to mention quarterback Dak Prescott — received their share.
So when Williams was approached about redshirting so he would have a chance to sit back and learn while competing against MSU’s first-team defense every day, he didn’t view it as a slight.
“The redshirt year helped me a lot,” Williams said. “Every single day, I was going against Benardrick McKinney and the rest of those guys. That told me how quick the game is at this level, how much quicker it is than high school. I found out what I needed to work on, how much faster I needed to be and how much stronger I needed to be.”
Williams said he used that experience to get faster, stronger, and bigger.
“I’ve gained 13 pounds since I got here,” Williams said. “I’m so much more ready now than I was then.”
Others, including MSU’s leader, have noticed.
“Those guys are going to be very good players,” Prescott said of Williams and Lee. “I think they call themselves Thunder and Lightning. They both have their strengths. Aeris is a very hard runner and he’s smart, too. He knows he needs to keep working hard and keep learning, like the rest of us.”
Magical season
Williams didn’t have a direct hand in one of MSU’s greatest seasons. Instead, he watched from the sidelines as the Bulldogs went from unranked to the nation’s No. 1 team in five weeks. He also wasn’t on the field for victories against No. 8 LSU or No. 2 Auburn.
But Williams was there in practice, working hard to help mold the Bulldogs into a team that finished 10-3 and lost in the Orange Bowl. The repetitions Williams earned with the scout team gave MSU’s No. 1 defense a chance to face a legitimate SEC running back each day in practice.
“I learned a lot because you had to,” Williams said. “Things like picking up pass protection and knowing the blocking schemes. You have to be able to do that stuff to play, so that’s what my first year was about.”
Williams’ path isn’t new. Robinson redshirted, as did former starter Ladarius Perkins and Nick Griffin, the former four-star recruit from Perry Central High, who watched Williams pay his dues.
“That’s my guy,” said Griffin, who suffered two season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injuries in his five years in Starkville. “He’s going to be a great player. You can see it. He’s not scared to run it up the middle and be physical, but he’s also a back that is good running off tackle. He can get in space and make a lot of things happen.”
Springing forward
The future is taking shape for Williams.
Robinson and Griffin are gone. Shumpert and Holloway are the Bulldogs’ most experienced backs, but neither has secured the starting tailback spot with the season opener still nearly five months away.
That’s why Lee and Williams plan to use this spring as a time to make their cases to be the team’s next featured tailback.
Williams said the friendship he has built with Lee has been helpful.
“We lean on each other a lot,” Williams said. “Everything I’ve been going through, he’s been going through the same thing. We are right there together, so when we get a chance to get on the field and play, it makes sense that we will get that chance at the same time.”
That chance is the next thing of the agenda for Williams. He has been a highly rated recruit. He has been a prized signee. He also been the scout team tackling dummy.
Eventually, he hopes to get his chance to become MSU’s next standout running back.
For now, though, the next step is playing in a Southeastern Conference football game for the first time.
“I’m just trying to get everything down so I can play. Pass protections, scheme, knowing my plays,” Williams said, “so when it comes my time to play, I’m ready. I was excited last year because I was going to get better every day.
“Now I’m excited because I’m going to play.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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