Just five miles down the road from his future home, Peden Stadium, Athens High School running back Trae Williams is already building his legacy.
Williams, a senior and a verbal commit to play at Ohio next year, has been lighting up the stat sheets this year for the Bulldogs. In just three games, Williams has rushed for 510 yards on 34 carries and reached the endzone 11 times. With the help of his great offensive numbers, the Bulldogs have rolled to blowout victories in their first three matchups, including a 69-6 victory last Friday over Warren.
Hitting the weight room during the offseason was key for Williams, who explained that the adjustments he made prepped him for what has been a successful season.
“This winter, I didn’t play basketball just so I could focus on getting bigger,” Williams said. “I gained about 15 pounds trying to get bigger and faster. I’m just trying to make sure that this season I can go out big.”
Last year, Williams ran for 1,716 yards last year on 168 carries, including 31 touchdowns.
Behind Williams, Athens is primed to have another run toward a state championship this year. In 2013, the Bulldogs finished the regular season 10-0 and won the Tri-Valley Conference, but fell in the quarterfinals of the Ohio High School Athletic Association playoffs to Marion-Franklin.
Williams says the Bulldogs have put the playoff loss behind them and — similar to himself — have put their fair share of work in the weight room this offseason.
“We’ve all gotten better,” Williams said. “They were in the weight room too this winter and this spring. We’ve all been working and we’ve all been watching film. We all know this could be a big year for us and we just have to work. It’s starting to show.”
Even with his success early on this season, Williams is not the only big-name recruit on Athens’ roster. His quarterback, senior Joe Burrow, is committed to play at Ohio State next year. Burrow is 41 of 51 and has thrown for 965 yards this season, including 14 touchdowns.
His father, Jimmy Burrow, is the defensive coordinator and the assistant head coach for the Bobcats.
Williams says he and Joe Burrow are great friends off the field, which helps their on-field rapport when it comes to game time on Fridays. Before Williams moved to Athens prior to his sophomore year, Burrow reached out to him to welcome him to the team.
He also explains that although they are committed to rival schools, there isn’t much trash-talking going on in the huddle between the two.
“Our dads are both OU coaches, so I’ll give him something every once in a while about how he’s going to a rival school,” Williams said. “But, I’m happy for him. He’s going to do great there. I’m rooting him on and he’s going to do the same thing for me.”
Trae Williams’ father, defensive line coach Jesse Williams, says that despite his role with the Bobcats, he had very little involvement with his son’s decision to commit to OU.
Jesse said that Trae Williams’ mother, who he described as Trae’s “best friend,” played a huge role in the recruiting process, but that the Ohio coaches made it easy for him.
“The great thing about it was that (offensive coordinator and running backs) coach (Tim) Albin, (special teams coordinator) coach (Brian) Haines, and (head) coach (Frank) Solich did a great job recruiting him,” Jesse Williams said. “I was able to just be a dad, answer any questions he may have, but not be in the everyday process. So, it really worked out to the advantage.”
Trae said even with his father’s help, he struggled with the recruiting process during the past year, calling the whole situation “stressful.”
“You don’t want to wait too long and someone takes your spot,” Trae explained about the recruiting process. “It was kind of stressful, but it was a good experience too. I’ve dreamed about being able to play Division I football from the time I was little. It was cool to go around all of the school and see them and meet new coaches.”
Right now, Trae is staying focused on the Bulldogs’ season, but is still looking forward to what the future has to hold for him at Ohio.
“OU has a great history,” Trae said. “Coach (Tim) Albin is a great running backs coach. He’s one of the greatest of all-time. He’s a great coach and a great offensive coordinator. OU’s also a great school academically. They have the stuff I’m looking for. I’m becoming part of a team that’s on the rise and trying to have an impact on them.”
Trae Williams and the undefeated Bulldogs will travel to Alexander on Friday night to take on the Spartans.
