Tennessee transfer RB Justin Williams-Thomas commits to Stanford
On Tuesday, Tennessee transfer running back Justin Williams-Thomas committed to Stanford. Williams-Thomas is the second transfer to commit to the Cardinal during this holiday season, joining FIU transfer linebacker Gaethan Bernadel, who made the festive decision to commit on Christmas Day.
Rivals Portal: Stanford adds former Tennessee RB Justin Williams-Thomas
FIU transfer LB Gaethan Bernadel commits to Stanford
Williams-Thomas appeared in three games for the Volunteers this past season as a freshman, rushing for 37 yards on 11 carries for a 3.4 yards per carry average. While he didn’t do much his freshman year, he was a pretty highly rated running back out of high school. Rivals had him rated as a 4-star with a 5.9 rating. He was the 156th best prospect in the nation, comfortably making the Rivals250. Had he committed to Stanford out of high school, Williams-Thomas would have been the number two ranked 2022 commit on the team behind 4-star outside linebacker/edge David Bailey (81st overall) and ahead of 4-star defensive end/edge R.J. Cooper (188th overall).
As for what he’ll bring to The Farm, Williams-Thomas will bring much-needed depth at the running back position behind E.J. Smith and Casey Filkins. It’s a bit too early to start talking depth chart but I’m going to go ahead and do it anyways: At the moment, I think Williams-Thomas would be the third running back behind Smith and Filkins. I certainly don’t see him leapfrogging either of those guys, but I also don’t see anyone on the current roster or incoming recruiting class who I would put ahead of him. Incoming 4-star running back Sedrick Irvin, Jr. should give him some competition as should 3-star running back L.J. Martin (if he signs). But, I would still put Williams-Thomas as the number three running back on the team heading into spring ball.
While Stanford had injuries across the board and could use an upgrade at a variety of positions, running back really stood out because of how decimated that position became due to injury. Smith missed the entire season, Filkins missed the second half of the season after being the victim of a late hit against Arizona State, and then from there, others went down like flies, forcing safety Mitch Leigber to make the switch to running back. Leigber performed admirably, but it still was far from ideal to have him out there in the backfield. By adding a guy like Williams-Thomas into the fold, who is fresh and eager to get as many carries as he can, Stanford should have a lot more depth at running back in 2023 and not have to resort to having a makeshift running back at the end of the year.
On top of adding depth, Williams-Thomas also appears to have a lot of talent to work with as well. His Rivals rating speaks for itself and it’s entirely possible he ends up becoming the number one running back on the team in the coming seasons. While the short-term outlook for him is to be a third running back option, long-term he could blossom into a legit top running back. At 6’0”, 210 pounds, he has good size, moves his feet well, has good speed, and plays with a high motor. He certainly has all the tools to be successful in the Pac-12 with the right coaching. It’ll be fun to see how he develops under head coach Troy Taylor and running backs coach Malcolm Agnew.
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