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When you think of great Iowa seasons, you think of great success running the ball. While that largely depends on a strong offensive line, having a great running back never hurt anyone.
That’s what the Iowa staff feels they have with Runnells native Gavin Williams, who finished his prep career with a state championship at West Des Moines Dowling.
Williams first committed to Iowa 11 months ago in January of 2019. Now he’s officially a Hawkeye and set to enroll at Iowa in January of 2020.
B1G Back joins the Black & Gold | #Swarm20 #GavinWilliams https://t.co/OXeNkLu015 pic.twitter.com/cFIpd1rf2E
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) December 18, 2019
Williams is a dynamic back with an excellent mix of size and speed. At 6’0”, he’s got a big frame for a back. At the high school level, he played with tremendous burst at less than 200 pounds. He’ll likely add 10-15 pounds at the next level, which could make him a punishing finisher with his very good speed.
In 10 games of action this season, Williams finished with 1,259 yards and 19 TDs on 140 carries for a 9.0 yard per carry average. While his highlight tapes are limited, the film does show a player who has excellent vision and superb balance. He’s rarely tackled by the first defender and displays breakaway speed against 4A competition in Iowa.
Those attributes earned Williams offers from Iowa State, Minnesota and Nebraska before things were shut down a year ago. At the time, Williams was just a junior at Southeast Polk. Now, less than a year later, he’s about to be on campus in Iowa City looking to contribute.
Welcome aboard, officially, Gavin Williams!