There is often this narrative surrounding the transfer portal where players don’t really care about their team and building a legacy. With how easy it is for most players to move from one team to another, it is even easier for fans and the media to knock them for doing so.
Yet don’t look any further than this Kansas team for the dispelling of that narrative. When tight end Deshawn Hanika announced he was out for the season earlier this month, his message spelled no regrets.
Look at current Kansas running back Leshon Williams. Despite Williams being a transfer from Iowa, his attitude will tell you the same thing.
“Leshon keeps working at it, you know, again, I'll tell you this. I got a lot of respect for him,” quoted Kansas head coach Lance Leipold during his obligatory Monday media availability.
“Because, he's one of those, guys that, you know, Mondays and Tuesdays, he's not moving real well, but he's also gonna say ‘coach I'll be there for you on Saturday,’ and the game's important to him, and playing is important to him, and he does what he can, he's out there doing what he can.”
This season, Williams has stepped up. In six games with 55 rushes and 309 yards, Williams has notched an extra five touchdowns, including a massive three touchdowns in Kansas’ narrow 27-20 win over UCF earlier this month. Williams has also touted a healthy two receiving touchdowns this season, the first in a blowout 41-10 win over West Virginia. The second, a blowout 42-17 loss at the hands of the No. 14 Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Williams’ best game as a member of the Jayhawks came against the Mountaineers, where the redshirt senior rushed for 129 yards on 19 carries and had a monster 6.8 yards per carry and two touchdowns split between the ground and the air.
Williams has had to split carries with Daniel Hishaw Jr. Hishaw has had healthy concerns for several games this season and has only seen 43 carries, but has churned a productive 231 yards out of it.
Coming from Iowa, Williams was mainly a backup in his time with the Hawkeyes. Williams rushed for 1,323 yards on 318 carries over 32 games.
This season, Kansas currently ranks 84th in the nation with 133.7 yards per game. A big room for improvement, but with a tossing and turning offense, there are several inconsistencies on that front.
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