By Josh Ward
Running back Justin Williams-Thomas believes he’s ready to help Tennessee’s offense. That’s good — because the Vols need his help right now.
With Tennessee losing running back Len’Neth Whitehead for the season due to an upper body injury, only two scholarship players return at the position from last season: Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright. And Wright, a second-year running back, has already been slow to start camp due to his own injury issue.
Enter Williams-Thomas.
The 6-foot, 210-pounder from Atlanta arrived at Tennessee in January and went through spring practice. He believes the experience he picked up during spring ball should help him be ready to go at the start of the season.
“The tempo of the game definitely has slowed down for me a lot,” Williams-Thomas said Tuesday. “Just being able to come through spring, I felt like that was a big help for me.”
His skill set should help Tennessee’s offense, too. Williams-Thomas adds size to a backfield that lacks a bigger back following Whitehead’s injury. Williams-Thomas said his goal is to play at close to 215 pounds when the season begins.
A question for Tennessee entering the season is whether the Vols’ offense can be better in short-yardage situations. Williams-Thomas could be an option to help Tennessee in those spots. But his game shouldn’t be limited to only picking up tough yards.
“I have power and speed,” Williams-Thomas said. “I have the combination of both.”
He also appears to have the kind of mindset coaches demand from their players. Spend a few minutes talking to Williams-Thomas and you’ll quickly forget he’s an 18-year-old freshman in college.
“He is a very smart, charismatic, well-intentioned person,” coach Josh Heupel said after Williams-Thomas signed with Tennessee. “(He’s) very focused on his future. From the moment that I talked to him for the very first time, it’s striking how mature he is.”
Williams-Thomas doesn’t claim to have it all figured out, but he understands what it will take if he’s going to succeed in the SEC. Along with his work on the field and in the weight room, Williams-Thomas has talked about focusing on the playbook and building relationships with his teammates, like fellow freshman running back Dylan Sampson.
“I feel like having chemistry with teammates is very important,” Williams-Thomas said, “and it
will only translate to the field.”
So how quickly will we see Williams-Thomas on the field this fall? Part of that is up to him. He’ll
have to compete for playing time. But he also plays a position that requires depth, and Tennessee doesn’t have a lot of it. So UT’s coaches are preparing Williams-Thomas to play right away.
Don’t be surprised if he looks ready for the challenge. After all, Williams-Thomas is Tennessee’s
top newcomer of 2022 for a reason.
