He’s a different guy. Since he’s come back out of retirement, he’s been a warrior. – Kyle Whittingham
SALT LAKE CITY — No one is more surprised by Joe Williams jaw-dropping success in the last month than the guy carrying the football.
“It always comes as a surprise to me, just because of the time I took off,” he said of his success that includes averaging 222.7 yards in three games and breaking the school’s single-game rushing record with a 332-yard performance in the first game of his return against UCLA. “The production I’ve received, the success I’ve gained so far.”
He smiles and shakes his head. But when he’s told that Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said he was wrong in assessing what Williams was capable of, in terms of workload, he can’t suppress laughter.
Williams retired Sept. 13 because he said the physical and mental toll the game had taken was so draining, he didn’t think he could give the game what it demanded. He has returned with such ferocity that he would rank third in the nation and first in the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game (151.6) if he’d played in the required 75 percent of the games.
Whittingham said he’s a different guy in just about every way.
“Obviously, he’s feeling better,” Whittingham said. “He’s more explosive. He’s running with more violence, he’s got a better look in his eyes, and he just seems more engaged.”
When asked at his weekly press conference about the coach’s preseason assessment of how many carries Williams might get this season, Whittingham interrupts the reporter.
“I was clearly wrong,” he said. “He’s a different guy. Since he’s come back out of retirement, he’s been a warrior. I cannot say enough positive things about Joe and what he’s meant to our football team the last three weeks. I underestimated his ability to carry the ball as much as he’s carried it.”
So the logical question is why? What’s changed?
Williams’ teammates aren’t sure, but believe it might be in the reason for his return – to help his brothers.
“Joe has a better mindset than when he left,” said quarterback Troy Williams. “He came back very determined to help the team. That was his big thing. He was going to come out and help his brothers, and I think that’s been a big factor for him.”
Tight end Evan Moeai said he’s not sure, but points to what the running back told teammates the day he returned after coaches approached him about coming out of retirement as they were down to a true freshman they’d hoped to redshirt this season because of injuries.
“When he came back, he made it very clear it wasn’t for his own accolades,” Moeai said. “He came back to help the team. He’s been running and playing for something bigger.”
Williams said he and his fiancé, Jasmine Jones, were in the stands when Utah lost walk-on running back Jordan Howard. Jones mentioned what Williams was already thinking about — returning to help the team. Then coaches called, and he didn’t hesitate.
“I told them why I came back,” he said. “It was for them. They understood where they were as a team, and I guess that’s why they called me back.” Equally impressive, and noted by both Joe Williams and Whittingham, is the way the offensive line has rallied to give the Pennsylvania native room to run.
Williams said he has never shied away from the grueling demands of the position.
“The nation knows Utah as a run-first, run-heavy team,” he said, grinning. “That’s one of the reasons I committed here. I knew after Devontae (Booker) left the workload would be similar if not the same. That’s nothing that I shy away from. I love the ball in my hands.”
Joe said the toughest part about coming out of retirement after four weeks as an ordinary student looking to “find a career path” in either sociology or journalism was the conditioning.
“The hardest thing was knowing I would be taking the brunt of the work,” he said. “Being in the game, carrying the ball, pass protection, going out on routes. So I did a lot of extra things after practice — running gassers, staying in the weight room, getting treatment — just the little things that I felt were going to help me.”
It took months to make the decision to leave, but only a day to decide to return. That, he said, is because he is, and always will be, a Ute.
“I felt like I owed it to them to come back,” Williams said. “Just to put forth that effort to help them win some games, reach the bowl game or the Pac-12 championship. It really wasn’t a hard decision to come back just because of how close we are, everything the program has done for me.”
He said he’s never regretted his decision to retire, but he also feels great about being back. Troy Williams said his contributions have been key to Utah being in a position to compete for both a conference title and maybe more, but real satisfaction is seeing Joe “out there having fun again.”
Joe Williams said his time off may even be contributing to his surprising success.
“It did a lot for my mind, body and spirit,” he said. “Let me think back and reflect on the decision I made and know it was the right decision for me, regardless of the negativity and criticism, even the positive feedback I was getting. I’m happy at the end with my decision. I have no regrets.”
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