Former UNC star running back talks about competition for Dallas Cowboys' starting role
Former UNC star running back talks about competition for Dallas Cowboys' starting role Can Javonte Williams beat out Miles Sanders on the Dallas Cowboys' depth chart?
When you think of college football programs that consistently produce top running backs, do the North Carolina Tar Heels come to mind?
If not, UNC should be near the top of your list. Just look at who North Carolina's putting in the NFL recently: Michael Carter, Ty Chandler, Javonte Williams and soon-to-be Omarion Hampton – all of whom recorded 1,000-yard rushing seasons in Chapel Hill.
While Hampton is destined to be a star NFL back, he won't know where he's playing until April's NFL Draft. Williams is the only other back, amongst the four I mentioned above, who currently has a starting role. Williams spent the first four seasons of his career with the Denver Broncos, but knee injuries and 2024's emergence of Jaleel McLaughlin, cut into Williams' production.
Now fighting for the Dallas Cowboys' RB1 spot with Miles Sanders, a former Penn State standout, Williams is excited to compete with Sanders and be in Dallas.
"The sky's the limit — I've been watching Miles since he was at Penn State, and then with the Eagles and a little with Carolina," Williams told DallasCowboys.com's Patrik Walker. "I've always respected his game, and I'm ready to get in here and compete with him, and grind. I just really wanted to be a part of the change (in Dallas). I know it's a lot of changes that have happened here, and I like the way Coach Schotty is talking. I wanna help build a winning, championship culture, like I do everywhere I go — just put my nose down and do whatever I gotta do for the team."
Williams' best season as a Tar Heel came in the COVID-altered 2020 campaign, when he tallied 1,140 rushing yards. Williams is also part of the last UNC team to win a bowl game: a 55-13 stomping of Temple in the 2019 Military Bowl.
Now in the Lone Star State, Williams will try and help Dallas return to postseason glory. The Cowboys haven't advanced past the Divisional Round since 1995, when they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl 30.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
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