Texas A&M football’s star running back Trayveon Williams declared for the 2019 NFL draft. Who will step up for the Aggies in his place next season?
Trayveon Williams is likely one of the best running backs Texas A&M has ever seen. He now owns the single-season record for rushing yards, a record that stood for three decades before he smashed it with a 236-yard night against NC State in the Gator Bowl.
From the start, Williams made an instant impact, becoming the first true freshman in Texas A&M history to put up a 1,000-yard season. Then, he finished his senior year with about 800 yards despite sharing the carries with Keith Ford, who transferred from Oklahoma. In 2018, his final season in an Aggie uniform, Williams finished with 1,760 yards rushing.
Where do the Aggies go from here? There are many options for Jimbo Fisher and company, but one name stands out above the rest, Jashuan Corbin. You may remember him as the kid who did this against Arkansas on the opening kick off.
Opening kickoff for @AggieFootball ... 100 yards TO THE HOUSE!! pic.twitter.com/Z9qn4se2jC
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 29, 2018
He finished his freshman year with 319 rushing yards on 57 attempts and one touchdown (above). That’s a pretty great touchdown to add to your highlight reel though, that is for sure. However, he is more than just that one play and that is why he is likely the guy to fill the shoes of Trayveon Williams.
He finished the season ranked No. 3 nationally and No. 1 in the Power 5 in kick return average. Corbin averaged 30.14 yards on 14 returns this year. Because of all of that, he led the team with 340 kick return yards and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team at the conclusion of the regular season. The young man is fast, hits his holes quickly and seems to break into second and third gear when he runs into green grass.
For 2019, the Aggies have Isaiah Spiller, an all purpose back out of Spring, Texas. The Aggies beat out Oklahoma on Early Signing Day for this one and Fisher is quite excited to get to work with the kid who made a big time name for himself at the high school level. After Corbin, 2018 signee Vernon Jackson as well as players like Jacob Kibodi could be in the mix as well. Simply put, while losing Trayveon Williams leaves a big hole in the Aggie offense but there are plenty of names to the that void.