Heading into the offseason, many people were concerned about what the Texas Tech football team’s running back situation looked like behind starter Tahj Brooks. Fortunately, the other running backs on the roster have impressed in fall camp. That includes true freshman J’Koby Williams.
In fact, Williams was one of the players named by head coach Joey McGuire as a standout player in the first scrimmage of fall camp, and he got his chance because of a minor injury to another first-year running back.
“Cam Dickey sprained his ankle in practice,” McGuire said Saturday, “so he couldn’t play today. That got J’Koby Williams to score some points on the twos, and that kid is special. I mean, in the open field, he had two big runs of 25 and 35 yards. That was really nice to see.”
Williams arrived without much fanfare. A former three-star prospect from tiny Beckville, Texas, he was only the No. 49 running back in his class, according to 247Sports.
Under contract with Texas Tech until June 2023, he wasn’t a player Red Raiders fans were keen to see play right away, and given the depth emerging in the running back room, he may not play a major role this year.
Of course, Brooks will be doing the lion’s share of work this season, with junior Cam’Ron Valdez and true freshman Cam Dickey expected to be his primary backups.
So don’t be surprised to see Williams only play in four games so he can continue to redshirt this season. That could be a good thing considering the 5’10” running back weighs just 180 pounds. Perhaps a year in the weight room will do him good, especially since he needs to be strong enough to play as a pass blocker in the backfield if he wants to play important snaps.
Still, it’s encouraging to hear the coaches heaping praise on the players behind Brooks, considering this will be his final season as a Red Raider.
“Right now, I feel like we have four guys,” Texas Tech running backs coach Kenny Perry said Monday. “Cam Valdez … this is the best fall camp he’s ever had. Cam Dickey was on trend. He had a great spring. He’s banged up. He’ll be back.”
“J’Koby Williams has been a great surprise for us. The kid loves football. He has that ‘Beast Texas’ mentality. He just plays hard. He loves playing football.”
“We’ve got four guys right now that I really feel good about. I think they can all contribute. So that’s a good problem to have. You know, as long as we have (No.) 28 back there, everything’s pretty good.”
Williams is still at the very beginning of his future plans. He only arrived on campus at the start of fall camp and is already making a name for himself among the coaches.
It seems like he’s on the shortlist to not only play some games this season, but also be considered a part of the running back puzzle through 2025. So remember Williams’ name, because the true freshman is already showing he has the ability to be a key contributor for the Red Raiders, even if his time probably won’t come this season.
