2016 might arguably be one of the most memorable and remarkable seasons in recent Utah football history. From wide receiver Tim Patrick’s triumphant return after missing two seasons with injury highlighted by literally taking Adoree Jackson out of his cleats to beat USC with 16 seconds on the clock, to Zack Moss not having quite enough push to secure a win for the Utes at Cal on 4th and goal, a second visit in a row from the College GameDay crew and surviving a slew of injuries that annihilated every available center and running back Utah had, it was a wild ride. Despite all of that the Utes still finished the year 9-4 and in the top 25 for a third straight year showing they were finally accumulating the depth they needed to survive in a P5 conference.

Easily the most stunning aspect of all that season was the sky-high hopes, epic downfall, and superhuman re-emergence of senior running back Joe Williams. After faltering the first three games of the season including a big miss on third down against BYU and several fumbles, Williams decided to retire and center his attention on repairing aspects of himself that he had long neglected chasing the pigskin dream. However, 27 days later Utah with few other options called Williams and asked if he would return after Armand Shyne, Zack Moss, Troy McCormick, and Jordan Howard were all ruled out with injuries. After a unanimous vote from the Leadership Council, Williams was back to work for the Utes, but what happened next was something absolutely no one saw coming.

“I wouldn’t really know how to put it into words,” Williams said. “It was up and down. A rollercoaster, but all in all it was really memorable. Not even what I went through, but as a team what we did collectively. We didn’t reach our goals completely but just the camaraderie we shared. A lot of us going into the league whether we went drafted or undrafted. I think it was something that will really go down in history when you look back at all of the years in Utah. When they win the Pac-12 or a National Championship that will trump it, but all around that season was something of greatness.”

Greatness never comes easy though, and few know that better than Williams. After struggling at the University of Connecticut with the newfound independence of being more personally accountable, Williams transferred to ASA College in New York to regroup. It wasn’t long before Utah came knocking and he saw his next big opportunity- spend a year behind/supplementing another great Utah back in Devontae Booker and then being the heir apparent his senior year. The only problem was the boiling emotions rising to the surface of not mourning his younger sister’s death properly- something he was still blaming himself for after she died in his arms nearly nine years before. Football had always been a way for Williams to temporarily forget about that day until it started to affect his play, so he chose to walk away and begin the difficult process of healing old wounds.

“A lot of people want to put it as I quit on the team because I guess there were a lot of things going on as far as position battles and things like that,” Williams said. “That’s why most people are fans and don’t play for the team. A lot of people don’t understand football is only a small portion of your life. I have a lot more that I do and I didn’t see football as- I mean obviously as a career, but not like my entire life.”

“Even now that is something I’m as passionate about as I was back then,” Williams continued. “Just because I played so long and have done a lot of great things with it. Just coming back to college it was just a precursor to what life is now. It’s just understanding that I would rather take care of things going on with me mentally, my family, and stuff like that. Just sitting back and taking time to reflect and make sure I’m good as a whole.”

One of the biggest keys in Williams’ success on and off the field has been his wife and rock, Jasmine. When he decided he wanted to come to Utah to play she was ready with the bags packed to move halfway across the country from New York with no hesitation. As a constant presence at practices, and games she fully supported his decision to step away from football to take care of the turmoil going on inside of him.

“Jasmine has been there since I first got out to Utah,” Williams said. “We’ve been into each other since I signed my letter of intent so even going through my first season being a backup to Book just waiting my turn and going through the everyday process of just practice, games and not getting as much playing time since my senior year of high school. She understood what I was going through mentally but still kept me grounded as far as ‘if you need to take a step back I support that decision, if you want to slug it out to continue playing I support that decision.’ There was never a time she doubted the decision to continue playing or stepping back, but she’s always been overly supportive of my well-being regardless of what the outcome may be.”

Williams paused for a minute before continuing on, “It’s good to reflect on that time and remember the people in my corner. The perception of what people think about you when you aren’t playing football because that’s all they see you doing. That’s all they know you by. When they hear my name they think of Utah football or the San Francisco 49ers and then there are people that know the life beyond that. The character and charisma that goes around that person besides ‘he plays sports, he’s just an athlete.’”

Even after retiring Williams says the Utes still checked in on him and made sure he was doing ok. It was never a situation where they felt like he had quit on them so they were no longer interested in him as a person- they knew and understood he needed that time for himself.

“I think coming onto the campus my junior year- the camaraderie happened a lot quicker than when I was at junior college or UConn,” Williams said. “Especially because they do their research before a person comes to the team whether you know it or not. Guys like Isaac [Asiata], Kenric [Young], and Book- they kind of understand your background and you build a certain, strong friendship with them and it carried on to my senior year. Especially, when I stepped away. Isaac was really supportive of my well-being when I left and came back. He was always on me. Kenric and Brian Allen were the first ones to call me when they heard the coaches were reaching out to me to come back to the team. Domo [Hatfield] and guys like that- it shows you how much they really care about you outside of just wanting you to play football. They want to see you succeed on and off the field.”

After nearly a month off and with some therapy Williams had never been better mentally when running back coach Dennis Erickson called to see if he’d be willing to un-retire. When Williams agreed to give his senior season another go all eyes were on him to see if the peace he had found in his soul during his time off would reflect in his play on the field. Obviously, without the full details of what had happened at that time there were skeptics of Williams’ ability and intentions, but all of that would soon resolve itself in one of the best comeback stories the Utes have ever had.

“My wife and I were living a very good life just being away from football,” Williams said. “I’ve been playing football since I was like five years old so having that time away and focusing on school and what life will be like ahead was really substantial. Especially at a younger age. People need to understand the decision to come back. I wasn’t seeking it out. If nobody got hurt between the weeks I left the team then I probably wouldn’t have came back. Everything happens for a reason. Guys were getting injured left and right. It was really ironic how everything fell into place within those four weeks. I think people overlook that because they don’t understand the magnitude of it. You see things from a certain perspective when you aren’t in it. When I wasn’t in football I was really focusing on life itself- my relationship, the betterment of like, what will I do outside of football?”

Williams impressed in his debut from retirement against Oregon State, but the real show was yet to come. The following week against UCLA in the Rose Bowl, college football fans would see a performance like no other when Williams literally ran amuck all over the Bruin defense racking up 332 running yards and four touchdowns with what seemed like little effort. It is the best single game ever played by a Ute running back to this day.

“When I came back I really took it upon myself to bolster myself back into shape,” Williams said. “I was doing a lot of things in practice like running to the end zone no matter what part of the field we were on even though all of the coaches were like ‘you’ve got to hurry it up because you’re wasting daylight’. I remember coach Nick [Alaimalo] was telling me people were talking a lot of crap because I had come back- a lot of people on the outside looking in thinking ‘oh, he just quit on his team’ and that we really needed to put a hurting on them.”

“You always have that chip on your shoulder, but I guess it was magnified a little more,” Williams continued. “Going into the game I had never played in that stadium, never had been to UCLA so it was just memorable to be in that atmosphere. A lot of it was the o-line, obviously. A funny thing looking back on the game was it really didn’t pop off till the end of the first quarter I think and then the confidence really started building. I think as an offense especially- I know coach Harding and them saw it, they just weren’t as much as we thought they were on film. We kept on hitting them where it hurt and the long runs kept coming over, and over, and over again.”

Williams continued to run all the way into the Utah history books that season and never once relented after retirement. In just nine games he amassed 1,407 yards, which put him at fourth best all time single season for the Utes. He also set a record averaging a whopping 156.3 yards per game and his 278 all purpose yards in the Foster Farms Bowl against Indiana earned him game MVP. His short, but highly productive senior season caught the attention of NFL teams leading him to be a 4th round pick for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2017 draft.

Unfortunately, while grateful for the opportunity, Williams spent most of his pro career hurt and learned like many before him there is a stark difference between the romanticized version of playing in the NFL versus the reality. First and foremost it’s a business, and they don’t have a lot of time for you to heal, or learn a playbook- if you can’t figure your way around those obstacles quickly you most likely won’t ever see the field.

“With my time in the league I always saw it with a first person view. What I mean by that is you have to be accountable for what you do everyday on and off the field,” Williams said. “Especially on the field with your play, the way you carry yourself. In the league there is always a position to be taken no matter how solidified you are. You could be a 10 year vet and have lost a step and if someone who has a couple of years under their belt is doing more than you, you either get traded or released. With me it was the same type of case being hurt and on IR my first year. I was a little behind, not physically, but in the eyes of the staff it was an uphill battle for me, but it worked out in a way that they saw me as something that could be beneficial for the team as long as I’m healthy. If I’m not healthy I don’t play into the grand scheme of things.”

Before completely hanging up his cleats to start focusing on the next phase of his life Williams briefly gave playing pro ball one more thought. For about 12 hours he was a part of the Salt Lake Stallions of the now defunct Alliance of American Football league. However, after flying to San Antonio and talking with running back coach, Nick Alaimalo, and head coach, Dennis Erickson, Williams ultimately decided even though it was a good opportunity it didn’t fit with where he saw his life heading now.

“When I got the call from coach Erickson to come be a part of the team it was out of respect to see if that was the right decision, but I didn’t want to half-ass what I was already doing starting a clothing line,” Williams said. “When I spoke to Nick that morning after he just told me I probably don’t want to be here and [in Denver] at the same time- that I couldn’t really commit to the Stallions when I was already committed to something else. It was good to hear that just because a lot of people will try to persuade you that you can make some good money and it’ll be better in the long run which it could, but then I’d be doing it for the wrong reasons.”

With a launch date planned for Labor Day weekend in New York, Williams along with Jasmine, have been busy putting the finishing touches on their line including getting their website into production and finalizing their fall 2019 and spring 2020 collection to show. It’s been almost a year of hard work but is something both Williams and his wife are proud of and excited to be working on together.

“The brand is called Sterling Leigh,” Williams said. “It’s a combination of myself and Jasmine’s middle names. It’s basically a men’s and women’s ready-to-wear brand which focuses on very high quality fabrics. It is sourced from around the world. The pieces and silhouettes pay close attention to the fit-the certain type of way the clothes fit with a person. That type of emotion you get with each different thing. It’s street wear in a sense because we are using certain visual graphics for our tees and hoodies, but it’s also avant garde because we are taking certain aspects from different pieces and shapes to really change it to a wide range from people in high school to people in their thirties and forties. The way fashion is going right now a lot of people are just wearing what looks good, but they aren’t really understanding what they are putting on. We just wanted to come into the fold with a brand that checks all the boxes.”

Though brief, Williams’ time and impact with the Utes was nothing short of extraordinary. It was a time he learned a lot about himself and what he values as a person, not just a football player. The love and support he received from the city, coaches and his brothers on the team is something he will not soon forget. To Williams the unwavering spirit of family is the core of what it is to be a Ute that he is forever proud to be a part of.

“It boils down to a lot of things, but just the love you get from the people in Salt Lake City-it goes all the way down to American Fork- we’ll skip on Provo- though some people do like Utah from Provo,” Williams said. “I think it’s the eternity that you have with the school. Coach Scalley always said Utes stands for ‘United Together Eternal Soldiers.’ Once you are done playing there you aren’t really done because you are always welcome at the facility. In the coach’s eyes you always have a bond with the players who came before and after you. It’s a culmination of the love that the team gives to you.”

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