Why Nebraska RB Kenneth Williams earned a scholarship following win against Maryland – Hastings Tribune
Mostly clear. Low 61F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph..
Mostly clear. Low 61F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
Updated: October 15, 2025 @ 8:22 pm
Sports reporter
LINCOLN — Inside the Nebraska football facilities the Monday before its road game at Maryland, head coach Matt Rhule was going over game keys, when he reached special teams.
He said the Huskers’ goal against the Terps was to score a touchdown on a kickoff return. That is when he turned to running back Kenneth Williams.
“He looked at Kenneth and said, ‘Hey, Kenneth, score a touchdown on kick return and see how that will change your.’,” Nebraska special teams coach Mike Ekeler recalled on Huskers Sports Radio.
Williams came close to reaching that goal in Nebraska’s 34-31 win over Maryland, falling 10 yards short. His life still changed Saturday night anyways.
Following Nebraska’s win, Williams was given a scholarship by Rhule and athletic director Troy Dannen, sending Nebraska’s locker room into a frenzy.
Rhule, speaking Monday ahead of Nebraska’s trip to Minnesota on Friday, said it was a “spur of the moment decision”. But what Williams rightfully earned.
“I was really happy for Kenneth,” Rhule said. “He is a really good player.”
Williams, speaking on Tuesday to the media, said he was caught off-guard by the announcement, and was emotional in the moments after.
He knew it was the culmination of the hard work he has put in since arriving to Nebraska.
“The process was hard,” Williams said. “A lot of self doubt ups and downs on the journey. But if you keep putting your best foot forward and keep striving, eventually it will come.”
Williams, a star runner at Lincoln High School, was discovered by Rhule and Recruiting Coordinator Keith Williams because of his stellar track times. They thought his speed would be useful and offered him a walk-on spot.
If that didn’t happen, Williams said he had other football plans. He was going to head to Nebraska-Kearney to accept a walk-on position there. But being a Husker was a lot more enticing.
“My senior year for track I just knew how fast I was and believing in myself and the times I was running, someone would eventually come and see me,” Williams said.
Williams, originally from Detroit, played in two games his true freshman season, recording one carry for five yards.
With the return of Emmett Johnson, and several capable running backs in front of him, Williams knew the best way on to the field as a redshirt freshman would be through special teams — and more specifically — punt returning.
“Every day at practice I kept talking to coach Ek and told him to give me a chance,” Williams said. “That chance came and I took the best opportunity I could.”
On the kick against Maryland, which finished after 85 yards, Williams said his process was simple. First, make sure he caught the ball. And then just trust your blockers. Midway through the return, Williams got a block from fellow running back Kwinten Ives, which sprung him free. And from there it was just like a track meet — a 60-yard dash to the end zone.
“My confidence was always there,” Williams said. “Being able to have a chance to really showcase and when I got the opportunity, I did what I did.”
Now, he will be doing it as a scholarship player, rightfully earned according to his coaches and teammates.
“I just kept my best foot forward,” Williams said. “Even when I was doubting myself sometimes, knowing if I came out here and competed every day and gave it my best, things would happen.”
Sports reporter
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