Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - Iowa Transfer Leshon Williams Looks to Replace Devin Neal as Kansas Jayhawks Starting RB in 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 On today's Locked On Jayhawks, does Kansas have their replacement for Devin Neal at running back in 2025 with their latest transfer portal addition with Sean Williams? You are Locked On Jayhawks, your daily podcast on the Kansas Jayhawks, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm Derek Johnson. You can find me on Twitter at DJohnsonRadio, Blue Sky at Derek Johnson, and this is Locked On Jayhawks. Thanks for making it your first listen every day. Thank you to the everydayers catching each and every show. We are free and available wherever you get your podcasts, and on YouTube where you can like and subscribe to the show.

Starting point is 00:00:40 This is a bonus episode of the show coming at you on your Monday night. Gantz Football making the addition of an Iowa transfer running back in LaShawn Williams. We're going to get into what it means for the running back room. We're going to get into his game, a little bit of a scouting report. Is he going to be the replacement for Devin Neal in terms of being the starting running back for KU in 2025? So what happened here? Well, he became kind of the Isaiah Moss of KU football running back position. If you remember Isaiah Moss for KU basketball committed elsewhere. I can't remember. It was Arkansas or maybe Memphis or something like that. Committed elsewhere, ended up flipping to KU out of the transfer portal, and the rest is history. Became a starter,

Starting point is 00:01:24 important player on what was a really good ku basketball team well hopefully that ends up happening here with leshawn williams because he was previously committed to memphis and then a little i don't know about a week after committing to memphis he's decided to be a kansas jayhawk and i don't know maybe it was just a trade maybe it was a player to be named later we're're going to get into, in a Tuesday episode, Kenyon Rivera, one of their 2025 commits, flipped to Memphis. So maybe, I don't know, this is just an odd trade

Starting point is 00:01:50 coming back the other way. But in all seriousness, he is a 5'10", 214-pound running back from Chicago, Illinois. He spent five seasons at the University of Iowa. So this will be his sixth year in college in his final year at that he had a big season in 2023 for what was not a very good Iowa offense but he still managed to you know have really good rushing numbers which is always impressive for an offense that's not

Starting point is 00:02:15 very good because they can just stack the box against you but then coming into this year he was injured he was battling through injuries in some of his early games at the beginning of the year you look at the stats this year they might not jump off page He was battling through injuries in some of his early games. At the beginning of the year, you look at the stats this year, they might not jump off the page. He was playing through injury. And then also Caleb Johnson, who this season emerged as a real Heisman candidate, a possible first-round NFL draft pick, over 1,500 yards, 21 touchdowns. I guess you could say, did he beat him out? Was it aided by the injury? Would he have beat him out anyway?

Starting point is 00:02:42 I mean, the way he's been playing, it's hard to say he wouldn't have won that job regardless. But like, still, to say that you lost your job to somebody who, when you were injured and ended up having an All-American level season, there's no shame in that, right? And if he would have been healthy and been in front of the job, does he get the first crack at it?

Starting point is 00:02:59 And does he have the season that Caleb Johnson ended up having? So anyway, he ends up redshirting this year, and he'll have one final year next year, which will be his sixth season in college football. He joined originally and did not play in the 2020 COVID season. So 2020, 21, 22, 23, 24, and then 2025 will be his sixth season. So older player at the running back position.

Starting point is 00:03:20 Let's get into the running back room and his scouting report to see will he eventually be the starter for KU. With that, this is Locked on Jayhawks. Bonus episode today is brought to you by FanDuel. Get ready to tackle the NFL action with FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. Because right now, new customers can bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if you win. The FanDuel sportsbook app gives you everything you need

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Starting point is 00:04:05 of the NFL and the Lockdown Podcast Network. Continuing on this bonus episode, thank you for tuning in. Don't forget, you can check out our full episodes for your second listen every day.

Starting point is 00:04:17 So, LaShawn Williams, what is his scouting report? Well, let's take a look at the stats. So, as I mentioned, did not play in 2020. Then 2021, limited action, 21 carries as basically a second year player. Some more playing time in 2022,

Starting point is 00:04:37 413 rushing yards, two touchdowns, 117 carries though. So only three and a half yards per carry. That doesn't sound great. But then 2023, that was his best season. He wound up with 170 carries for 821 yards and a touchdown on 4.8 yards per carry and if you remember that that 2023 iowa team was the one that had caden mcnamara get injured in the early half of the season and then they had uh oh gosh what was the backup quarterback i don't know really bad numbers like they could not do anything on the offensive end of the ball um it was like one of the worst offenses in the entire country. So the fact that you average 4.8 yards per carry as an offense that couldn't throw the ball, the teams are stacking the box and couldn't really move the ball overall besides you is actually like very impressive. It's already, I mean, 4.8 yards per carry is already solid to

Starting point is 00:05:17 begin with, but when you grade it on a curve, it becomes even more impressive. He didn't have much receiving in his Iowa career. And there's also a bit of a lack of touchdowns. Again, only one touchdown with 170 carries, 821 yards. You go back to the two previous seasons, you're talking about just shy of 300 carries with only three touchdowns. And it's weird because he's a bigger back. You know, he has some breakaway speed, but I wouldn't call him a burner in any way of it.

Starting point is 00:05:41 Like he does have good physicality to him. A bit perplexing he only has three touchdowns is that just because the Iowa offense is so bad they just couldn't get in the end zone is that because of usage where they had somebody else as the goal line back is that because he's not as good at converting those short plays that Devin Neal was so good at I don't have the answer to that but that is something that I think will be an interesting question coming into the year could just be usage and the Iowa offense, and he's going to be just fine at getting touchdowns for KU.

Starting point is 00:06:08 But he had over 100 yards in games against Nebraska in 2023, Wisconsin, which both of you think of as having solid run defenses in 2023, Western Michigan. But he also did have five games with 25 or less rushing yards. So it seemed like you had a bit of boom or bust with him, even though, like I said, he has some breakaway speed, but I wouldn't call him a burner. He did have a 20 plus yard carry in four separate games in 2023. When you look at the pro football focus numbers, interestingly enough, the year that he averaged three and a half yards per carry

Starting point is 00:06:40 in 2022, he had a better PFF grade. He had a 71 PFF grade that year. So maybe that just gets attributed to he only averaged that low amount of yards per carry because 2022 he had a better pff grade he had a 71 pff grade that year so maybe that just gets attributed to he only averaged that low amount of yards per carry because the offensive line was really bad uh 2023 he was a 66 overall which puts him you know basically above average or slightly average um starter in college football he had 16 runs of 10 or more yards in 2023 out of comparison devon neal had 34 of those, Devin Neal had 34 of those. Daniel Hyshaw had 12 of those. The year before 2023, Hyshaw had 18 of those. So that shows you the explosiveness is probably closer to Hyshaw than it would be Devin Neal. He also averaged in 2023 2.94 yards after contact per rush. Devin Neal this season was at 3.71. So, you know, you're

Starting point is 00:07:27 getting more broken tackles from Devin Neal. Daniel Hyshaw this past season was 3.29. So also Hyshaw better at breaking tackles. Now, if you go back to Devin Neal's freshman year, Devin Neal averaged 2.94 yards after contact per rush as well. So basically think about it this way. He's more of like a Devin Neal freshman year type of runner which devin you know got better as he stayed in school but he was still a really good player as a freshman right um so maybe not quite as explosive in those ways but you also got a figure too right we were grading on a curve as we said with the iowa offense and teams loading the box it's also think about the conferences they play in when i think about the 12, you know, I think defenses have gotten a lot better.

Starting point is 00:08:06 Like anybody who's still clinging to the idea that this is like this just offensive air raid run and gun league like it was 10 years ago, maybe even, I don't know, five, six, seven years ago. Like that's not the case anymore. But when you think about Big 10 defenses and Big 12 defenses, just on a general generality, right? This isn't true for everybody there are certain schools that the buckton uh trend for both sides but for the most part i think of more lumbering good run defenses in the big 10 than the big 12 so you're gonna have heavier personnel in the big 10 typically um maybe gonna be opened up a little bit more at kansas so so that could certainly help from that perspective and here's what's interesting too when When you look at LaShawn Williams, when he ran outside the tight end to the left side,

Starting point is 00:08:48 so basically those outside zone plays in 2023, he averaged 6.1 yards per carry. That was one of his best zones. Guess where Devin Neal had his most yards and yards per carry in the 2023 season? Left end of the tight end at 9.7 now in 2024 those numbers switched and dropped significantly on the left side but he had his most yards and yards per attempt on the outside of the tight end to the right side so same idea just flip the side so point being KU likes to run to the outside you think of those wide zone plays and the Sean Williams did really good at it at least to one direction in 2023 so that could work out very well for this KU offense. All right, let's finish up.

Starting point is 00:09:27 What does the running back room look like? And does he have a good chance to start? This is Locked on Jayhawks. This bonus episode is brought to you by GameTime, which is a new feature called GameTime Picks that makes getting tickets to see your favorite teams play live even easier. GameTime Picks filters out all the fluff

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Starting point is 00:10:20 Finishing up our bonus episode of Locked on Jayhawks. So what does the running back room look like now, potentially for 2025? Well, you look at the returning players. Savion Morrison set to be a, I guess, would that be a sixth year senior? He has another year left for KU next year. And I think it was encouraging to see Savion, you know, stay more healthy this year

Starting point is 00:10:37 than in previous years and get more run at the end of the season. It makes you feel more confident he can make an impact on next year's team. But is, you know, there's going to be a chance that Harry Stewart, who will be a redshirt freshman next year, Johnny Thompson, who will be a redshirt sophomore, that one of those guys who seems to be very talented

Starting point is 00:10:51 takes another step and ends up being the starter. Very possible. You also have two freshmen coming in, John Kelly, Justin Thurman, as part of this as well. And then you add LaShawn Williams to the fold. That's six scholarship running backs at the moment for K i think right now if you were projecting the starter i would project it to be lashawn williams now what if we do see harry stewart or you know uh somebody like that break out in the spring what if savion morrison knowing the playbook that's a big

Starting point is 00:11:20 difference um it is interesting because the running style might be a little bit closer to Daniel Hyshaw. I think it's a mix, honestly, of Hyshaw and Neal if we're just taking those top two running backs for KU last year. But it would probably lean closer to the spectrum of the side of Devin Neal in this one. And, you know, what does that mean for who's getting the most carries? Does it mean KU is going to go for another running back in the transfer portal? I don't know. With six scholarship running backs, if they do go for another running back in the transfer portal i don't know it was six scholarship running backs if they do go for another running back in the transfer portal it tells me that they're going for somebody to be the starter and they envision williams more in that daniel high

Starting point is 00:11:52 shot like running back number two role specifically but as of right now if i was projecting the starting lineup i think i would put leshawn williams in as the starter but i don't think it's enough of a foothold for me to just automatically be like oh well, well, I would be shocked if Harry Stewart or Johnny Thompson or Stevie on Morrison wasn't the starter as well, because I could see that being the case for anybody. So truly open competition. But right now, I'd probably give the leg up right there. And I think there's a reason KU wanted to add more experience to the running back room after losing Devin Neal.

Starting point is 00:12:19 It seems like Daniel Highshaw away from the team. And I don't know if the expectation is that he'd be back. So that'd be unfortunate. But LaShawn Williams becomes a nice addition in a year where Kansas is really going to have to hit the transfer portal hard. They've already done it well with Williams, Bengali Kamara as well. A couple power four level transfers for KU. We'll see if they can keep this rolling on the recruiting trail for Lance Lightpool and

Starting point is 00:12:38 company. All right, that'll do it for this bonus episode of the show. We will be back on Tuesday to discuss more about the KU football offseason with the biggest decisions to be had for the KU football offseason, including with Jalen Daniels. See you then on Locked on Jayhawks.

Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - Iowa Transfer Leshon Williams Looks to Replace Devin Neal as Kansas Jayhawks Starting RB in 2025

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