BATON ROUGE – Josh Williams always believed he could play major college football.

 

He played for a small private school in Houston and was ignored by major college recruiters. He did himself no favors by not attending college summer camps for maximum recruiting exposure.

 

He hurt his knee early in the 2019 season as a preferred freshman walk-on running back on LSU’s scout team. Despite having to train at home the following spring after the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak closed schools, he earned a scholarship by the end of preseason camp in 2020.

 

Even when the Tigers have continued to sign running backs bigger, stronger and faster than Williams – 10 to be exact – he hasn’t wavered.

 

“It’s been a long journey, a lot of trust in myself,” said Williams, a sixth-year senior starter leading the 12th-ranked Tigers into their 2024 season opener vs. No. 23 USC in Las Vegas on Sunday. “It’s been a long ride through the national championship, through COVID, through the ups and downs of injuries.”

 

Williams, who has 1,012 rushing yards and 11 TDs as well as 40 catches for 337 receiving yards and a TD in 47 career appearances with the Tigers, credits his parents, LSU head coach Brian Kelly and running backs coach Frank Wilson for emotional support.

 

This past weekend, Williams was one of two Tigers to be awarded the coveted No. 18 jersey by the LSU coaching staff. The honor goes annually to an offensive and defensive player in honor of Matt Mauck, who wore No. 18 as the starting quarterback of the Tigers’ 2003 national championship team.

 

“Throughout the last 25 years, the number 18 has been passed down to a player who brings all those traits of a great teammate,” Kelly said. “Somebody who has given himself up for the team. A guy you can count on, a guy you want next to you when adversity hits, a guy that’s going to be there when you need him. That’s number 18.”

 

Williams’ value, besides being a complete running back who’s also an excellent blocker and receiver, is his ability to accept and excel in whatever assignment he’s given.

 

He realizes playing running back in the SEC is being a collective part of a 3 or 4-headed monster designed to survive the season’s worth of collisions in college football’s most physical league.

 

“I understand the position I came in, that’s it’s not always going to be clean-cut like ‘Here are the keys to the vehicle’,” Williams said. “I always knew this is a business. I’d have to wait my turn and whenever I get the opportunity I’m going to have to pop.

 

“I’ve stayed solid, not veering away from a challenge but staying positive and being a good teammate. I’ve always had that mindset. I think it will prepare me for the next level.”

 

Williams is excited to be part of a Tigers’ running back rotation featuring fifth-year senior John Emery Jr., brutish sophomore Kaleb Jackson and speedy true freshman Caden Durham.

 

“John and Caden are both shifty and elusive,” Williams said. “Kaleb is big and strong and has the speed to take it far. I feel like I’m a jack of all trades. I can do everything well.

 

“We have a lot of good energy in our (running back) room. It feels like a family, which is different than in past years. There’s a lot of competition, but the rotation will be great. Keeping fresh legs will be a big deal.”

 

That’s a must if the Tigers want to be a part of college football’s first 16-team playoff. The two players who accounted for 67.2 percent of LSU’s 2,659 rushing yards last season – Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels (now in the NFL) and running back Logan Diggs (who transferred to Ole Miss) — are no longer a part of the team.

 

New LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan, the Tigers’ QB coach the past two seasons, believes LSU’s veteran offensive line and running backs are going to the bellcows to support new starting QB Garrett Nussmeier.

 

“We’re going to run the ball,” vowed Tigers’ junior offensive left tackle Will Campbell, a first-team preseason All-American and a projected top 10 NFL 2025 draft choice. “That’s not something we’re hiding or trying to keep quiet.

 

“I’m telling everybody right now. We are going to run the football.”