Texas A&M Football 50 in 50: Can Trayveon Williams win the Heisman?

Texas A&M football is 32 days away, and in the days leading up to the Aggie opener we’re answering the 50 biggest questions for the 2018 season.

Jimbo Fisher is implementing a whole new offensive scheme as the head coach for Texas A&M football, one that will focus on the ground game more than Kevin Sumlin did with his air raid offense.

That should make Trayveon Williams very happy.

Williams burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2016. He split time with Keith Ford at running back, but was still able to rack up 1,148 yards from scrimmage at 6.6 yards per touch and eight touchdowns that year. He made an impact right out of the gate, rushing for 94 yards on 15 carries against UCLA.

He had his first 100-yard game against Auburn, thanks to this incredible 89-yard touchdown run:

Due to injuries along the offensive line and ineffective play from the group in 2017, Williams regressed in 2017. He only had 990 yards from scrimmage at 5.1 yards per touch to go along with eight touchdowns again. Most of that came in a 203-yard effort against UCLA in the opener.

Despite that, Williams should thrive in Fisher’s new offense that has been spitting out NFL-caliber running backs left and right since he took over at Florida State. Here is the list of backs that excelled in his system over the years:

As you can see, most years the Seminoles split time between two or even three excellent running backs. But in 2015 and 2016, Dalvin Cook was head and shoulders above the rest on the roster and Fisher leaned on him as a workhorse. It could be the same with Williams in 2018 as he is clearly the most talented runner on the squad after Ford graduated this year.

The makers of preseason award watch lists recognize this and Williams’ talent. He was pegged on the Doak Walker Award watch list, given to the nation’s top running back, and the Maxwell Award watch list, given to the nation’s most outstanding offensive player.

In limited opportunities in a pass-happy offense while splitting time, Williams still managed five games of more than 100 yards and two explosive 200-yard games. He clearly has the talent. He just needs the opportunity.

Williams had more than 20 carries in a game just three times in two seasons under Sumlin. In Cook’s last two years, he did that 14 times and had 19 in another. He averaged about 260 carries per season in those two years. Give Williams that many carries at his career average, and we’re talking 1,450 rushing yards. At his career high 6.8 yards per carry as a freshman, that’s 1,755 rush yards.

Williams will have plenty of opportunities in Fisher’s new scheme. If his history at Florida State is any indication, Fisher will lean on Williams as a workhorse back. Williams can absolutely win the Heisman and will be one of the best players in country regardless.

Jeff Shull is the Site Expert for the Gig Em Gazette on FanSided. Follow him on Twitter, and be sure to follow the Gig Em Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.