At the rate things are going, Jonathan Williams may have played his final down as a member of the Arkansas football program.
Initially diagnosed with a foot injury that was expected to sideline him for an extended period of time, the Arkansas running back was subsequently ruled out for the entire season. Williams, who sustained the injury during a scrimmage a couple of weeks ago, had two screws surgically inserted into his left foot to help promote growth and healing in a torn ligament.
If his rehab goes as expected, Williams said, he won’t be returning to the Razorbacks for the 2016 season. Instead, he’ll make his way to the NFL as an early entrant in the draft.
Jonathan Williams: If the rehab goes as planned, I'm looking at mostly likely going to the next level after this season.
— Thomas Murphy (@TomMurphyADG) August 27, 2015
Last season, Williams led the Hogs in rushing with 1,190 yards. His 12 rushing touchdowns were tied for the team lead with Alex Collins, who was second on the team with 1,100 yards. The backs were the only FBS teammates to rush for more than a thousand yards last season.
Williams is Arkansas’ No. 10 all-time leading rusher with 2,321 career rushing yards. His 5.72 career yards per rush average ranks sixth all-time at Arkansas and his rushing total in 2014 was the eighth-best single-season mark in Razorback history.