2017 Football Roster
Roster
Aeris Williams
- Position:
- RB
- Height:
- 6-1
- Weight:
- 217
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- West Point, MS
- High School/Previous School:
- West Point HS
CAREER: One of the elite running backs in the SEC during his career … Rushed for 1,000+ yards as a junior … Nicknamed “A-Train” or “Train” … Turned into a dominant ground force late in 2016 and followed that up with an outstanding junior campaign … Spent five years with the program … Showcased outstanding vision and pass-blocking ability … Played in 51 games with 17 starts … Rushed for 2,557 yards on 498 carries and 16 touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry … Logged eight career 100-yard rushing games and two multi-touchdown contests … No QB-RB combo in MSU history topped the 100-yard rushing mark more than he and Nick Fitzgerald (six times) … Arrived at MSU after a standout career at nearby West Point High School … Graduated from MSU in December 2018 with a degree in industrial technology.
2018 SENIOR SEASON: Appeared in 12 games with two starts, rushing for 524 yards and three touchdowns on 85 attempts … Averaged 6.2 yards per carry … Hauled in nine receptions for 100 yards and one touchdown … Topped the 100-yard rushing mark twice … Recorded 17 runs of 10 or more yards, including three for 20 or more … Longest run was 29 yards and longest catch was 27 … Caught a 27-yard touchdown pass in the season opener vs. Stephen F. Austin (9/1) … Rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries vs. Louisiana (9/15) … Broke runs of 28, 17, 16 and 15 yards … Rushed twice for 42 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown run, vs. Louisiana Tech (11/3) … Ran for 104 yards on 15 carries vs. Arkansas (11/17) on Senior Day … Put the finishing touches on a 35-3 win at Ole Miss (11/22) with a 1-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter … Finished the game with 64 rushing yards on 11 attempts.
2017 JUNIOR SEASON: Played in 13 games with 12 starts … Did not start against Arkansas … Became MSU’s first running back 1,000-yard rusher since Josh Robinson in 2014 … Ranked sixth in the SEC in rushing, carrying it 236 times for 1,107 yards and six touchdowns … Averaged 85.2 yards per game on the ground … Also caught 16 passes for 142 yards … Had four 100-yard rushing games … Racked up 82 yards and a touchdown in season-opener start vs. Charleston Southern (9/2) … Rushed for 107 yards on nine carries, averaging 11.9 yards per carry at Louisiana Tech (9/9) … Season-high rushing output came the following week in big win against No. 11 LSU (9/16), carrying it 23 times for 146 yards … Became the first MSU back with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since 2014 … Delivered a season-best 147 all-purpose yards against BYU (10/14), rushing for 114 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries and collected 33 yards through the air … Also had 114 yards rushing in win against UMass (11/3) … Tremendous game against top-ranked Alabama, rushing for 97 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns … Was his second career multi-score game and became the first running back with two rushing touchdowns against Alabama since Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott on Jan. 1, 2015 … Both of Williams’ scores against Bama occurred in the first half … Rushed for 88 yards on 12 carries and opening the scoring in the TaxSlayer Bowl with a 5-yard touchdown run.
2016 SOPHOMORE SEASON: Emerged as the starting running back late in the year and thrived … Started the final three games – Arkansas, Ole Miss and the St. Petersburg Bowl … Played in all 13 contests … Rushed for 720 yards and four touchdowns … Eclipsed the 100-yard mark twice – vs. Texas A&M and at Ole Miss … Ranked fifth in the SEC in rushing in the month of November, averaging 112.5 yards per a game … Tallied his first rushing touchdown of the year at UMass (9/24) … Carried it 21 times for 82 yards at BYU (10/14) … Went over the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career with 24 carries for 140 yards and one touchdown in win over No. 4 Texas A&M (11/5) … Delivered one of the most dominant running back performances in Egg Bowl history (11/26), rushing for a career-best 191 yards on 25 carries with two scores … Was the highest yardage total by an MSU running back since Josh Robinson had 198 against Kentucky on Oct. 25, 2014 … Averaged a career-best 7.6 yards per carry against Ole Miss and tallied his first career multi-touchdown game … Carried it 12 times for 64 yards in the St. Petersburg Bowl (12/16).
2015 REDSHIRT FRESHMAN SEASON: Played in all 13 games in a reserve role … Ranked fourth on the team in rushing with 206 yards on 40 carries and three touchdowns … Scored his first career touchdown in the Northwestern State win, finishing with seven carries for 36 yards … Ran the ball six times for 26 yards and a touchdown against Louisiana Tech (10/17), while also recording his first two career receptions … Averaged 7.7 rushing yards on six carries in the victory at Missouri (11/5), finishing with a season-best 46 yards … Rushed three times for 39 yards in the Belk Bowl (12/30), including a season-long 33-yard touchdown that gave MSU a 30-point lead in the fourth quarter.
2014 TRUE FRESHMAN SEASON: Did not play in any games and earned a redshirt as true freshman.
HIGH SCHOOL: A four-star recruit according to ESPN.com, Scout.com and 247Sports and a three-star prospect by Yahoo.com ... A three-year starter for head coach Chris Chambless … Ranked as the 42nd-best running back in the country and the 11th-best recruit in Mississippi by ESPN.com ... The Mississippi Association of Coaches 5A Offensive Player of the Year as a senior ... A 2013 Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen selection who was also a member of The Mississippi Press’ Fantastic 15 list of the state’s top collegiate football prospects at the beginning of senior season ... Became the fourth Dandy Dozen player from West Point, joining Chris Washington (1989), Chris Jefferson (1990) and Michael Carr (2009) ... Took part in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic ... A 2014 U.S. Army All-American Bowl nominee ... Finished just shy of the 4,000-yard rushing mark (3,994 yards) in prep career ... Gained 1,697 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on 265 carries during senior year ... Registered nine receptions for 85 yards and a score during final campaign ... Selected as the WCBI-TV Offensive Player of the Year following senior year ... Against Center Hill, rushed for 252 yards and four touchdowns (32, 27, five and 15 yards) to help Green Wave to 69-41 victory ... Rushed for 1,519 yards as a junior with five touchdowns on 268 carries ... Added six receptions for 77 yards in 2012 ... A Columbus Dispatch All-Area Second-Team honoree as a junior, when the Green Wave advanced to the MHSAA 5A state semifinals ... Versus Hernando in 49-14 victory, ran for 112 yards and three scores (four, 10 and 15 yards) ... During sophomore season, rushed for 778 yards on 129 carries and contributed 12 scores ... Hauled in 13 passes for 250 yards and a pair of TDs as a sophomore.
PERSONAL: Born Aeris Lavontae Williams on Aug. 9, 1995, in Racine, Wis. … Parents are Veronica and David … Siblings are Calvin and Dahmarion … Family lived in Racine, Wis., before moving to West Point … Majoring in industrial technology … Twitter handle is @aeris_williams.
WILLIAMS’ CAREER HIGHS
Rush Attempts: 25, at Ole Miss (11-26-16)
Rush Yards: 191, at Ole Miss (11-26-16)
Rush TD: 2 (twice), last vs. Alabama (11-11-17)
Long Rush: 59, at Louisiana Tech (9-9-17)
Receptions: 5, at Georgia (9-23-17)
Receiving Yards: 33, vs. BYU (10-14-17)
Receiving TD: 1, vs. Stephen F. Austin (9-1-18)
Long Reception: 28, at Louisiana Tech (9-9-17)
