Countdown to IUFB Kickoff: 2 Days (Davonte Williams)

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

#2

Two days! Two-ahhhhh! Just a pair of days left until the Hoosiers welcome ESPN’s College Game Day to Bloomington for the first time ever. Just two days left until they debut new uniforms and helmets. Two days left until they open the 2017 season against the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in a game that Tom Allen has accurately labeled, “the biggest home opener in Indiana football history”. Today’s penultimate countdown piece takes a look at one of the players tasked with carrying the rock against one of the nation’s toughest defensive fronts: running back Devonte Williams.

Devonte Williams (Redshirt Sophomore)

-Height: 5’10”

-Weight: 190 pounds

-Hometown: Columbia, Maryland

-Position: RB

One of the toughest positions to evaluate as we enter the 2017 season has been the running back unit. This group is very deep and there is undoubtedly a lot of talent but each player has a perceived deficiency or question mark that makes it unclear what his role will be. For Morgan Ellison, his inexperience is a question mark. For Mike Majette, his durability is a question mark. For Tyler Natee, his explosiveness and ability to reel off big runs is a question mark. You get the point. For Devonte Williams, his size and durability are the question marks. That being said, he has a lot of skills and he’ll certainly have a role in the IU backfield and possibly on special teams.

Williams, also known as “The Matrix”, is a 5’10” redshirt sophomore from Columbia, Maryland. He came to Indiana as a running back but was then switched to cornerback prior to the 2015 season as the IU coaches looked to find capable athletes for the defense. He surprisingly started the first three games of the season and did pretty well but unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury, receiving a medical-redshirt. He was moved back to running back before the 2016 season and ended up rushing for 147 yards on 48 carries. He has flashed terrific speed and explosiveness but he’s yet to establish himself as a consistent threat. He was solid on kick returns but he was unable to break one for a huge gain or for a momentum-changing play and it’s unclear if he’ll be given a chance to make a difference as a kick returner in 2017.

The redshirt sophomore from Columbia, Maryland is only listed at 190 pounds and that could prove to be problematic if he is asked to shoulder a heavy load in between the tackles. I don’t expect that to be the case. I think he’ll end up being used as a kick returner and get around ten touches (catches and carries), primarily in hopes to get him to the edge. I think both Majette and Williams (and Craig Nelson) are going to be best utilized on the edge while Gest, Ellison and Natee will be better utilized between the tackles. It won’t always work out that way and the offense certainly can’t be predictable but I see no reason why you wouldn’t want to get Williams the ball in space and the best way to do that is to get him to the outside on screen passes or outside tackle runs.

Please share any comments or thoughts in the comments section or in our message board. The countdown is nearly complete!