Despite being born over 750 miles from Starkville, Mississippi State senior running back Aeris Williams still considers himself "Mississippi Made."
Cover Story: A-Train On The Tracks
September 13, 2018 | Football
by Caleb Garner, Graduate Assistant/Communications
The following feature story can be found in the Sept. 15 Mississippi State Football Game Program, which can be purchased for $5 in and around Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday.
Despite being born over 750 miles from Starkville, Mississippi State senior running back Aeris Williams still considers himself "Mississippi Made."
Williams was born in Racine, Wisconsin—a city 22 miles from Milwaukee—and spent much of his life there. That was until he made his way down to Mississippi and became one of the top high school running backs not only in the state of Mississippi, but in the nation.
It was not his first time in the Magnolia State, however, as he routinely spent summer vacations with family members in West Point, the place to where he eventually moved.
"I moved to West Point in the ninth grade," Williams said. "I was born in Wisconsin, but we would come down here for summer vacations to visit family."
Upon arriving at West Point High School, he almost immediately became a standout in a loaded Green Wave backfield, becoming the primary back as a junior. He eventually became known by his nickname "A-Train," while also going by "Train."
Williams noted that the nickname actually began in the radio booth during his high school days, when former West Point radio announcer Bud Bowen began using the now-popular moniker.
"Our radio announcer at West Point was calling our games and he started calling me [A-Train]," Williams said. "After that, it just kind of stuck."
Those four years at West Point, one of the most powerful teams in the state regardless of class, proved beneficial for Williams. He played in a run-heavy system and became the workhorse of the running back corps. That experience not only prepared him for life in the Southeastern Conference, but also for adversity in all aspects of life.
"It taught me how to be tough," Williams said. "Whatever was going on, I knew I could get through it. My coaches [at West Point] taught me how to fight adversity from a young age."
When Williams arrived in Starkville as a freshman in 2014, he had the chance to prepare himself against National Football League talents such as Preston Smith and Benardrick McKinney. Many players would often balk at the idea of having to face future All-Pro-caliber players day-in and day-out, but not Williams.
"When I first got here, we had Preston, Bernardrick, and everyone else [on defense] and I was like, 'Dang, these guys are pretty big,'" Williams said. "I just stepped out onto the field and acted like it was a high school game. I just told myself that we were just playing ball. I like to think I helped make those guys better, and we got to number one [in the national polls], so that's something I will always remember."
Since becoming a Bulldog, Williams has made his mark as one of the top running backs in the SEC, partly due to that freshman year. However, he knows there is always room to get better.
"I think I did a pretty good job of adjusting to the college level," Williams added. "I know that I can still get better. There's always room for improvement."
When Joe Moorhead was hired in December, Williams and the rest of State's running back room expressed excitement about what was yet to come for their position group after seeing how Moorhead utilized Heisman Trophy candidate Saquon Barkley at Penn State over his two seasons in Happy Valley. That excitement grew when Moorhead brought along Charles Huff—Barkley's position coach—to be the running backs coach in StarkVegas.
"Their scheme is crazy, in a good way," Williams exclaimed. "It's like we're out there playing chess while the other team is still playing checkers."
Once again, State has a loaded backfield, with three high-caliber running backs set to provide each other with quality competition as well as camaraderie. Williams says that because the top three running backs all have at least a year of action in the SEC under their belt, they can point out things that the others are not seeing and help sharpen one another. Not only that, but it also gives the offense a sense of consistency, regardless of which back is in the game.
"It helps me out a lot because those guys have been here for at least a year now and have been learning," Williams said of his teammates. "Everyone is helping each other and critiquing each other. We sharpen one another. Each individual is an axe, so we just sharpen each other and make sure we're all sharp when we step out onto the field. When myself, Kylin [Hill] or Nick [Gibson] get out there, the offense will not skip a beat."
Williams' goals for his senior year are pretty simple—he wants to end his MSU career with a bang, and that all starts with the team.
"I want to have a big year, and I want my team to have a big year. I just want us to go out there every single game and smash the opposition."
This season in Davis Wade Stadium, fans can easily identify who ran the ball for the Maroon and White when they hear either a train whistle or Quad City DJ's "C'mon 'N Ride It (The Train)" blare over the stadium speakers.
It means that the "A-Train" is coming.
The following feature story can be found in the Sept. 15 Mississippi State Football Game Program, which can be purchased for $5 in and around Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday.
Despite being born over 750 miles from Starkville, Mississippi State senior running back Aeris Williams still considers himself "Mississippi Made."
Williams was born in Racine, Wisconsin—a city 22 miles from Milwaukee—and spent much of his life there. That was until he made his way down to Mississippi and became one of the top high school running backs not only in the state of Mississippi, but in the nation.
It was not his first time in the Magnolia State, however, as he routinely spent summer vacations with family members in West Point, the place to where he eventually moved.
"I moved to West Point in the ninth grade," Williams said. "I was born in Wisconsin, but we would come down here for summer vacations to visit family."
Upon arriving at West Point High School, he almost immediately became a standout in a loaded Green Wave backfield, becoming the primary back as a junior. He eventually became known by his nickname "A-Train," while also going by "Train."
Williams noted that the nickname actually began in the radio booth during his high school days, when former West Point radio announcer Bud Bowen began using the now-popular moniker.
"Our radio announcer at West Point was calling our games and he started calling me [A-Train]," Williams said. "After that, it just kind of stuck."
Those four years at West Point, one of the most powerful teams in the state regardless of class, proved beneficial for Williams. He played in a run-heavy system and became the workhorse of the running back corps. That experience not only prepared him for life in the Southeastern Conference, but also for adversity in all aspects of life.
"It taught me how to be tough," Williams said. "Whatever was going on, I knew I could get through it. My coaches [at West Point] taught me how to fight adversity from a young age."
When Williams arrived in Starkville as a freshman in 2014, he had the chance to prepare himself against National Football League talents such as Preston Smith and Benardrick McKinney. Many players would often balk at the idea of having to face future All-Pro-caliber players day-in and day-out, but not Williams.
"When I first got here, we had Preston, Bernardrick, and everyone else [on defense] and I was like, 'Dang, these guys are pretty big,'" Williams said. "I just stepped out onto the field and acted like it was a high school game. I just told myself that we were just playing ball. I like to think I helped make those guys better, and we got to number one [in the national polls], so that's something I will always remember."
Since becoming a Bulldog, Williams has made his mark as one of the top running backs in the SEC, partly due to that freshman year. However, he knows there is always room to get better.
"I think I did a pretty good job of adjusting to the college level," Williams added. "I know that I can still get better. There's always room for improvement."
When Joe Moorhead was hired in December, Williams and the rest of State's running back room expressed excitement about what was yet to come for their position group after seeing how Moorhead utilized Heisman Trophy candidate Saquon Barkley at Penn State over his two seasons in Happy Valley. That excitement grew when Moorhead brought along Charles Huff—Barkley's position coach—to be the running backs coach in StarkVegas.
"Their scheme is crazy, in a good way," Williams exclaimed. "It's like we're out there playing chess while the other team is still playing checkers."
Once again, State has a loaded backfield, with three high-caliber running backs set to provide each other with quality competition as well as camaraderie. Williams says that because the top three running backs all have at least a year of action in the SEC under their belt, they can point out things that the others are not seeing and help sharpen one another. Not only that, but it also gives the offense a sense of consistency, regardless of which back is in the game.
"It helps me out a lot because those guys have been here for at least a year now and have been learning," Williams said of his teammates. "Everyone is helping each other and critiquing each other. We sharpen one another. Each individual is an axe, so we just sharpen each other and make sure we're all sharp when we step out onto the field. When myself, Kylin [Hill] or Nick [Gibson] get out there, the offense will not skip a beat."
Williams' goals for his senior year are pretty simple—he wants to end his MSU career with a bang, and that all starts with the team.
"I want to have a big year, and I want my team to have a big year. I just want us to go out there every single game and smash the opposition."
This season in Davis Wade Stadium, fans can easily identify who ran the ball for the Maroon and White when they hear either a train whistle or Quad City DJ's "C'mon 'N Ride It (The Train)" blare over the stadium speakers.
It means that the "A-Train" is coming.
Players Mentioned
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