Jake Lourim

Courier Journal

As three Louisville running backs have suffered serious injuries this season, the list of healthy players available to carry the ball has dwindled.

But on Monday, coach Bobby Petrino added a name to that list, one few people expected to hear this season: Dae Williams.

At a time of need, Williams was cleared to play late last week for the first time since he underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in April. He said he practiced Tuesday with pads and a knee brace on and handled it well. When the Cards face Boston College on Saturday, Williams may be able to shoulder some of the load.

"My expectations of myself have not lowered at all since the injury," Williams said. "If I get the ball, I'm going to do what I can to make something happen, point blank period."

It would be a quick return from the ACL surgery, which typically requires a recovery time of about nine months. In fact, Petrino said Monday that Williams has been practicing with the team for about three weeks but only now can participate in contact drills. The redshirt freshman said Tuesday he always made it a goal to return before the end of this season and credited his speedy rehab process to the trainers.

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Williams redshirted last season in his first year out of Sapulpa, Okla., near Tulsa. He looked promising in the spring before the ACL setback forced him to have surgery just before the school year ended and then stay in Louisville to complete the rehab process.

All that time, Williams envisioned a possible return.

"Definitely, every day," he said. "Throughout my whole day, just in my head I pictured myself making plays all throughout the field, and I think that's a big part. They say speak it into existence, so I'm thinking it into existence."

Added Williams' mother, Monica: “We are ready. Whenever he gets cleared to play, and we see him on that field, it’s going to be outstanding.”

Senior Jeremy Smith broke his foot in Week 2. Freshman Colin Wilson suffered a season-ending knee injury Sept. 30 against Murray State. Senior Malik Williams injured his wrist Thursday at NC State and will likely miss extended time. That leaves only Reggie Bonnafon, Trey Smith and Harry Trotter as healthy running backs who have received carries this season.

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At 6-foot-2, 227 pounds, Dae Williams is the biggest running back on Louisville’s roster. He can help in pass protection, which was one of Malik Williams’ strengths. He can also catch passes, per Petrino, which could be an asset given how much the Cards line up a running back or two in the slot.

“His opportunity is there. It’s just a matter of seeing what he has,” said Dae’s father, Jon. “I think it’s going to be an awesome experience.”

Originally committed to Southern Methodist, Williams was lightly recruited out of high school, a two-star prospect according to 247sports.com. But he spent the redshirt year and the summer getting stronger and faster, and his parents said he handled it well.

“He has an amazing attitude,” Jon Williams said. “It’s all, of course, in how you interpret things, and fortunately we don’t allow him to be hard on himself. He’s not hard on himself in that way.”

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Dae’s mother would ask him during the rehab process if he was doing OK, and he’d say it was a tough day, or he was a little sore, but no problem.

“No complaints,” Monica recalled. “... He’s more the type to know that he’s going to have to work, and it’s going to take this amount of time. So he was just focused on putting the work in and doing as much as he could to get healthy as quickly as possible.”

There’s no telling for now whether Williams can help a reeling Louisville backfield, but his parents remember the kid who chewed up yardage as a high school star in Oklahoma.

Jon recalled how his son could run through or around defenders and expressed hope that he can do so again soon.

He said, with optimism: “It’s going to be a new Dae.”