South Carolina RB David Williams works hard for starting job
By Adam Spencer
Published:
South Carolina RB David Williams didn’t get off to a good start during this year’s fall camp.
The redshirt junior, who sits at No. 2 on the Gamecocks’ depth chart behind redshirt freshman A.J. Turner, said his effort was called into question by the South Carolina coaches:
“Probably an hour into the first day of practice I got kicked out of practice,” said Williams following USC’s Friday practice. “It was tough, but I had to mentally prepare myself to come back the next day and keep working and keep working the rest of camp.
“(It was just) effort on a play I should have scored on. (USC running back coach Bobby Bentley) said I didn’t finish my play.”
After a phone call with his mother, Williams said he began to see why the coaches did what they did and what was expected from him on the football field:
“At first it was kind of tough because I didn’t get it,” he said. “Then it started to click. I talked to my mom and she told me to keep working, they were testing me. They’re putting you in an uncomfortable position to see how you react. I just kept pushing and pushing.”
Williams had 86 carries for 299 yards in 2015 and also added 11 catches for 93 yards out of the backfield.
As the No. 2 running back this season, Williams anticipates a bigger role in the South Carolina offense.
The Gamecocks open their 2016 campaign on Thursday night at Vanderbilt.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
