The opening at running back is obvious. What mattered this spring was how Aneyas Williams chose to pursue it.
With Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price gone as first-round picks, Williams could have spent his time answering questions about replacing production. He went somewhere more revealing. “Yeah, I just want to show that I’m an all-around back, do-it-all. Obviously, I’ve been thrown in multiple positions and I just want to show that I can do it every down and be an every-down back and, shoot, do what they did.”
That is the whole story. Williams is done making the case to be viewed as a useful wrinkle in the offense. He is pushing for the full workload, and Notre Dame has every reason to let him chase it.
Mike Denbrock practically stamped the argument himself. “My anticipation for Aneyas is the same as it’s always been. Every time we’ve given him an opportunity and he’s stepped into a football game, he’s made something positive happen, and I don’t see that being any different.”
That matters more now because the room was thin all spring. Kedren Young missed spring while recovering from an ACL injury, and early enrollee Javian Osborne was out as well. Williams had the inside track already. The absences only made the opportunity cleaner, and his own history backs it up. He barely got meaningful volume in 2025, but he still scored five touchdowns, averaged 9.3 yards per carry. In 2024 he delivered one of the more important relief performances of Notre Dame’s playoff run in the Orange Bowl against Penn State with five catches for 66 yards.
Building the case beyond carries
Short version: Williams does not want to be boxed into a niche.
His most interesting spring comments were about speed, body control, and creating space, which is exactly how a back talks when he wants coaches to trust him on first down, third down, and everything between. “Really focusing on speed and control, body control. I think that’s going to be a big thing. When you lose J Love and J.D., that speed in the backfield, I’m trying to make sure that we don’t lose too much of that. Working on the big-play capability, but I’d say specifically for me, just really creating a lot of space.”
That fits what Notre Dame has already seen from him. Williams has never looked like a back who needs perfect blocking or a clean runway to help the offense. He has looked like a player who can turn traffic into a six-yard gain or a checkdown into a chain-moving play.
Jaylen Sneed gave the clearest outside endorsement of Williams’ receiving value. “I feel like Aneyas can catch any ball in the world. Like, the quarterback puts it wherever and he’s going to go up and try to go get it.”
That trait is not decorative in this offense. It is part of why Williams has a real path to owning the job. Notre Dame already saw him help settle a struggling offense with catches in a major game. Denbrock isn’t guessing here. He has seen the usefulness translate on Saturdays.
The red jersey annoyed him for a reason
Williams’ frustration this spring was also revealing. He hated the red jersey, no-contact jersey, because it kept him from proving the whole point. “Especially those defensive guys, they, a lot of shouldn’t have-been tackles are tackles, and not very fond of that.”
That is how a back competing for RB1 should feel.
He also made it clear why he pushed his recovery timeline. “Just the position that I’m finally in, that I’ve been waiting for the last two years. I couldn’t just sit there and watch.” Notre Dame needed to hear that from him because feature backs do not wait around for the role to be handed over easily. They press for it.
The leadership piece is moving in the same direction. “Yeah, coach would say it too. I’ve always been like a vocal leader, but now just being able to be a leader throughout my play. But I love it. There’s nothing else I’d rather do.”
Williams spent the spring staking his claim on the job, not just fighting for carries. Notre Dame does not need him to mimic Love or Price. It needs him to be the kind of back who stays on the field, catches the ball, protects the quarterback, creates explosives, and carries a voice in the room. He spent the spring telling everyone that that is exactly what he intends to be.
