Kansas football: Pooka Williams has a shot at history next season

After tremendous freshman and sophomore seasons with Kansas football, Pooka Williams could make history in his junior season.

Pooka Williams has been one of the most electrifying Kansas football players in recent memory. The way he splits tackles and ‘makes something out of nothing’ is mystifying, and the rest of the conference thinks so too.

In both his freshman and sophomore seasons, Williams rushed for over 1,000 yards and was named a First-Team All Big 12 running back. With a career total of 2,167 yards, Williams has an opportunity to make history in his junior season: pass Gale Sayers in all-time rushing yards and move into the top-five in rushing yards at Kansas. All Williams would have to do is have another 1,000 yard season.

If Williams decided to stay for his senior year too, there’s a realistic chance that he’ll become the all-time leading rusher in Kansas football history.

The good news for Williams is that he probably won’t have much competition at the running back position. Khalil Herbert transferred last season in the middle of the year, and while Velton Gardner will get some time at running in 2020, Williams will get the majority of carries.

Then there’s also the question  of who will be playing quarterback nest season for the Jayhawks. If Kansas struggles to throw the ball with consistency, then Williams could become even more of a focal point in Brent Dearmon and Les Miles’ offense.

While it isn’t essential, having Williams go for over 1,000 yards next season is extremely important. Kansas has playmakers at the receiver position like Andrew Parchment and Stephon Robinson, but Williams will almost always be the key to success for the Kansas offense similar to his first two seasons with the Jayhawks.

READ MORE: Top three offensive playmakers to watch in 2020

This season, we’re going to see just how great of an offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon really is. He proved that he had potential to be a game-changer last season, but this year is a whole new animal with no strong candidates at the quarterback position.

Dearmon and Williams as both a coach and player have a chance to change Kansas football. They’re both excellent at what they do, and while next season could be tough, there’s a lot to look forward to with Jayhawk football.