#23 Kyren Williams 2020-21 Football Roster

HONORS & AWARDS

2021

• Paul Hornung Award Finalist
• Team Captain
• Associated Press Preseason All-American First Team
• Maxwell Award Watch List
• Doak Walker Award Candidate
• Paul Hornung Award Watch List
• Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List
• Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll (Week 3)
• Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll (Week 6)
• Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll (Week 8)
• Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll (Week 9)
• Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll (Week 10)
• Phil Steele All-American Honorable Mention
• Phil Steele All-Independent First Team

2020

• FWAA Freshman of the Year Finalist
• FWAA Freshman All-America
• The Athletic Freshman All-America First Team
• Sporting News All-America Second Team
• Phil Steele All-America Third Team
• All-ACC Second Team RB
• All-ACC Honorable Mention (All-purpose)
• Associated Press Second Team All-ACC
• Phil Steele Second Team All-ACC
• ACC Rookie of the Year
• ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year
• Doak Walker Award Semifinalist
• FWAA Freshman of the Year Semifinalist
• ACC Running Back of the Week vs. Syracuse (12/5)
• FWAA Freshman All-American Watch List
• FWAA “Fresh Four” of the Week at North Carolina (11/27)
• ACC Running Back of the Week at North Carolina (11/27)
• ACC Running Back of the Week vs. Clemson (11/7)
• CFPA National Performer of the Year November Watch List
• ACC Running Back of the Week (Duke)
• Gameball recipient: Duke (9/12)
• ACC Rookie of the Week (Louisville)

JUNIOR SEASON (2021)

• FLORIDA STATE: Caught six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in the season-opener vs. Florida State while adding another 46 yards on the ground on 18 attempts.
• TOLEDO: Rushed for 78 yards including a 43-yard touchdown run against Toledo and caught three passes for 25 yards.
• PURDUE: Rushed for 91 yards including a 51-yard touchdown run against Purdue and caught two passes for 37 yards. The 51-yard rush is the longest rush by the Irish this season. He hauled in a 39-yard touchdown pass, making it his second receiving touchdown of the year, doubling his total from last season. He finished the game with 168 all-purpose yards.
• VIRGINIA TECH: Williams tallied a 10-yard rushing touchdown and 8-yard receiving touchdown in the win over Virginia Tech. It is the third time in his career that he has had a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game. Williams finished with 107 all-purpose yards (81 rushing, 26 receiving), his fourth game this season with 100 all-purpose yards or more.
• SOUTHERN CAL: Williams broke out for the Irish with a team-high 138 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns in the win over Southern Cal. He finished with 180 all-purpose yards (138 rushing, 42 receiving), which was the second-highest total for him this season.The 180 all-purpose yards were the 10th-most by any player in Week 8.
• NORTH CAROLINA: Williams continued his strong play with a career-best 199 yards on 22 carries with one rushing touchdown over the Tar Heels. He ripped off a career-long 91-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter and it tied for the fifth-longest rush in Notre Dame history. The 199 rushing yards were the most by an Irish player since Dexter Williams had 202 against Florida State in 2018.Williams finished the night with a career-high 261 all-purpose yards (199 rushing, 47 returning, 15 receiving). It was the most all-purpose yards by an Irish player since 2009 when Golden Tate had 275 (244 receiving, 31 rushing) against Washington. The 261 all-purpose yards were the third most by any player in FBS during week nine.
• NAVY: Williams led the Irish in the win over Navy with a team-high 95 yards rushing, two rushing touchdowns, seven receptions and 176 all-purpose yards. It was his third-consecutive game and fourth time this season he has totaled 150 all-purpose yards or more. Williams has tallied at least one touchdown in each of his last five games and it is the second time this season he has had multiple rushing touchdowns in a game.
• VIRGINIA: Williams led the team in rushing yards (70) for the 10th time this season after the win over Virginia. He tallied a rushing touchdown in the second quarter, his sixth-straight game with a rushing touchdown.
• GEORGIA TECH: In the win over Georgia Tech, he led the team with 120 all-purpose yards (58 rushing, 33 return and 31 receiving), four receptions and two rushing touchdowns. It was his seventh-straight game with a rushing touchdown and his third game this season with multiple rushing touchdowns.
• STANFORD: In the win over Stanford, he surpassed the 1,000-yard mark (1,002) for the second-straight season. He is the first Irish running back to have back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Darius Walker (2005-06). He is just the fifth Notre Dame running back in program history to have back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Williams also rushed for two touchdowns for the third-straight game and it was his eighth-consecutive game with a rushing touchdown.

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2020)

• DUKE: In his first-career start, marked 112 rushing yards on 19 carries (5.9 avg.) and 2 TDs, as well as two receptions for 93 yards (75 long) with 91 YAC, in the season-opening win vs. Duke (9/12); eclipsed the 100-yard rushing plateau for the first time in his career and was the first Notre Dame player since at least 1996 to reach the 90-yard mark in both rushing yards (112) and receiving yards (93) in a single game; rushed for two touchdowns and took a screen pass 75 yards, the longest pass play of the day on either side of the ball; totaled the most all-purpose yards (205) among all FBS players in Week One. Williams led all FBS players in yards-per-reception (46.50) in Week one. Ranked second in rushing yards and fourth in receiving yards among all ACC players in Week One, also ranking third in the ACC in scoring (12 points) and second in total touchdowns. 
• SOUTH FLORIDA: Started and rushed 10 times for 62 yards (15-yard long), adding two receptions for 10 yards, in the 52-0 win vs. South Florida (9/19).
• FLORIDA STATE: Started and had 19 carries for 185 yards (65-yard long, 9.7 avg. yards per carry) and two TDs, as well as two receptions for 11 yards, totaling 196 all-purpose yards in the win vs. Florida State (10/10); shattered his previous career-high mark of 112 yards set vs. Duke in the season-opener, rushing for 185 yards vs. Florida State. His 185 rushing yards rank as the fourth-highest in a single game by any ACC player this season, and the most by any freshman or sophomore ACC player this season (Williams is an academic sophomore, a freshman in eligibility). Entering the game, Florida State allowed just 141.3 rushing yards per game. Williams surpassed that total on his own by more than 40 yards; his 185 yards vs. Florida State rank as the ninth-most in a single game among FBS players this season, and the fourth-most in a single game this week in the FBS. His total is also the highest for a Notre Dame player since 2018. Williams is currently averaging 119.7 yards per game, the third-best mark in the ACC and seventh-most among all FBS players; Williams posted 117 yards on five carries, including runs of 65 and 46 yards, in the first quarter. The last time an Irish player rushed for more yards on five or fewer carries was Josh Adams vs. Miami (OH) in 2017 (151 yards); Williams was responsible for 10 of Notre Dame’s 15 rushing first-downs on Saturday; his 65-yard run in the first quarter was the longest rush of his career, and his performance marked the second time this season (and in his career) he has broken the 100-rushing-yard plateau.
• LOUISVILLE: Earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors for the third time this season out of four total games. Williams now ranks second in the ACC and sixth in the FBS in rushing yards per game (121.5) and third (ACC) and eighth (FBS) in all-purpose yards (151.2). In a grind game vs. Louisville, Williams showcased his power run ability, plowing for 127 rushing yards against a defense that had only allowed 156.8 rushing yards per game entering the matchup with the Irish. He also blocked on Louisville’s blitz packages, allowing QB Ian Book to rush for 47 yards, as well as buy time in the pocket.
• PITTSBURGH: Rushed 17 times for 38 yards and a touchdown, catching three passes for 37 yards, in the 45-3 win at Pitt (10/24).
• GEORGIA TECH: Rushed 15 times for 76 yards and two touchdowns in the 31-13 win at Georgia Tech (10/31), marking his third multi-TD game of the season (previously vs. Duke, vs. Florida State). Was responsible for seven of Notre Dame’s 24 first downs, posting three plays of 10 or more yards, and two of 19 or more yards. Was one of just five ACC players to rush for two or more touchdowns on the weekend, and the only freshman to reach the mark.
• CLEMSON: Named ACC Running Back of the Week for his performance in the 47-40 2OT win over then-No. 1 Clemson (11/7); Posted 23 rushes for 140 yards (65-yard long) and three touchdowns, marking his first three-touchdown game. He is the second Irish player to rush for three touchdowns in a single game this season (Ian Book vs. South Florida). Posted 140 yards against the third-ranked rushing defense in the ACC, as Clemson entered Saturday allowing just 99.9 rushing yards per game. Prior to the game, Clemson’s defense had allowed just three rushing touchdowns all season. Williams single-handedly doubled that figure. Williams broke through for a 65-yard rush on the first official play of the game’s opening drive, tying his career-long rush (Florida State) and marking the longest scoring rush of his career. Only one player in the ACC this weekend had a longer scoring rush. Williams surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark with a five-yard run on Notre Dame’s final drive of the first half. His second and third TDs of the day, coming in overtime, making the game his first-career three-rushing-TD day, and his fourth-career game with multiple rushing touchdowns (all occurring this season). Williams contributed six of Notre Dame’s 22 first downs on the day.
• BOSTON COLLEGE: Posted nine rushes for 37 yards and four receptions for 37 yards in the 45-31 win at Boston College (11/14).
• NORTH CAROLINA: Named ACC Running Back of the Week with 23 rushes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, four receptions for 20 yards and a touchdown, 144 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns in the 31-17 win at No. 19 North Carolina (11/27). Williams’ three total touchdowns ranked tied for third among all FBS players on the weekend. He was the only FBS player with three or more touchdowns that weekend to have at least one receiving touchdown and one rushing touchdown. His three touchdowns tied for most by a single ACC player (non-quarterback) on the weekend. Williams’ 144 all-purpose yards were the most among any ACC running back on the weekend, and were the fourth-most among all ACC players. Ranking 16th among FBS running backs with his 144 all-purpose yards, Williams, a redshirt freshman, was the only running back who posted 122 or more all-purpose yards who also scored a receiving touchdown. It marked William’s fifth 100-yard rushing performance of the season, which ties for most in the ACC. No FBS freshman had more than William’s 18 points on the weekend. Williams posted the most all-purpose yards (144) of any Power 5 freshman running back, and ranked third in all-purpose yards among all FBS freshman players on the weekend.
• SYRACUSE: Named ACC Running Back of the Week for his performance in the 41-25 regular season finale win over Syracuse (12/5), in which he totaled 20 rushes for 110 yards, eclipsing the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season, and three receptions for 33 yards. The last time an Irish player reached 1,000 rushing yards in a single season was Josh Adams in 2017. Williams leads all FBS freshmen in rushing touchdowns (12), total touchdowns (13), and total rushing yards (1,011). Among all FBS players, he is eighth in rushing TDs, ninth in total TDs and fifth in rushing yards. In the ACC, Williams ranks third in rushing yards per game (101.1), fourth in scoring – TDs (7.8 points/game) and fourth in all-purpose yards per game (127.9). Williams’ 110 rushing yards were the third-most in the ACC on the weekend, and he tied for third among all ACC players in all-purpose yards (143).
• ACC CHAMPIONSHIP: Started and totaled 15 rushes for 50 yards, adding three receptions for 14 yards, in the ACC Championship game (12/19).
• CFP SEMIFINAL AT THE ROSE BOWL GAME: Started and marked his 13th rushing score of the season, the most by an Irish running back since Autry Denson’s 15 in 1998. Williams is tied for ninth all-time in single-season rushing touchdowns among all players in Irish history. He also posted eight receptions on the day, leading the Irish and marking a new career-high (previous high was four receptions, occurring most recently at North Carolina this season). In total, he finished the day with 16 rushes for 64 yards and a touchdown, and eight catches for 31 yards.

FRESHMAN SEASON (2019)

• Saw action during the first four games of the season — Louisville, New Mexico, Georgia and Virginia
• Rushed four times for 26 yards and caught one pass for three yards
• Returned a pair of kickoffs, totaling 35 yards

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA

• Enrolled at Notre Dame and began taking classes in January 2019
• No. 380-ranked overall player nationally, No. 22 running back nationally and No. 6 player from Missouri by 247Sports.com
• No. 28 running back nationally and No. 9 player from Missouri by ESPN.com
• No. 36 running back nationally and No. 6 player from Missouri by Rivals.com
• 2018 Missouri Football Coaches Association First Team All-State
• 2018 Missouri Football Coaches Association Class 5 Offensive Player of the Year
• Helped St. John Vianney to the 2018 Class 5 Missouri State Championship
• Responsible for 354 total yards, including a state-championship game record 289 yards rushing, in the state final victory
• 2,035 rushing yards, 725 receiving yards and 40 total touchdowns as a senior in 2018
• Played for coach Paul Day at St. John Vianney High School