From an outside perspective, Utah State’s dramatic, double-overtime, bowl-clinching 44-41 win over New Mexico on Friday may have looked like the beginning of quarterback Levi Williams’ comeback story.
The third-string QB erupted with 351 all-purpose yards and five total touchdowns in his first start since 2021, and he still has one year of college eligibility left.
But the dynamic performance that punched the Aggies’ ticket to bowl season is more like a fairytale ending to close the chapter in his football book as Williams intends to forgo his final year of college eligibility to pursue a dream to be a Navy SEAL. Williams will complete his Master of Business Administration from USU’s business school in December.
“It’s always been in my heart all my life. My mother is Army. My grandparents were Army and Navy,” he said. “It’s the people in the military that I’ve always wanted to emulate because they’re some of the best people, best teams on the planet.”
The 22-year-old came to the decision about two years ago when a Navy chaplain spoke at a The meeting of Christian Athletes at the conference was attended by Williams. Williams decided between the Navy and the Army Special Forces when the chaplain connects him with a former SEAL who he now trains with and looks to as a mentor.
Depending on the bowl, Williams said he plans to play one more game for Utah State. (Photo: Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
It’s an unconventional path for an athlete who was rated a three-star prospect coming out of high school and still has the skills to find success on the football field, but Utah State coach Blake Anderson said it was an obvious fit for Williams.
“The guy is unique in every sense. I think his true sense of selflessness and fighting for the person next to him is something tangible and real. You can see it,” Anderson said. “His capacity for work and to do difficult things and to fight against things that are hard, difficult and painful is just something that, in our society today, is hard to see. I think he will do an amazing- amazing job. I can’t think of a better fit for what he wants to do. I’m super proud of the path he’s chosen.”
Before Friday, Williams was buried on the depth chart and playing almost exclusively on special teams. A transfer from Wyoming, Williams became first QB to rush for 200 yards and four touchdowns in a bowl while leading the Cowboys to a win in 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. But with Utah State, he entered the season back up Cooper Legas and McCae Hillstead.
When both QBs went down with injuries, Williams stepped in, and the Aggies adjusted their offense to better suit his big arm and ability to make plays with his feet. Although Anderson said Williams has previously struggled with consistency in practices this season, he approached the starting role with calm confidence. Even a car accident the Tuesday before the game didn’t dampen his nerves. Another driver stopped in front of Williams on the highway and paid for his car, he said, but he walked away without a scratch and took it as a sign.
“I was telling my head coach, ‘You know what? I think this is a sign that God really wants me to play in this game, because otherwise, it could have been a lot worse,'” he said.
Williams brought that swagger to the game and shared it with his teammates.
“When New Mexico decided to kick a field goal in the second overtime, I looked at everybody on the sideline and said, ‘All right, we’re going to win this game. That was a huge mistake on their part.’”
He went on to seal the victory with a 13-yard touchdown run on a play that started with a dropped snap.
GREAT GAME!!!! @USUFootball won by Levi Williams’ long run#AtThePeak l #MWFB l #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/R1uRfJiKS1
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) November 25, 2023
Depending on which bowl game the Aggies get, Williams said he plans to play. The Athletic Utah State predicts Georgia State will face off in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Dec. which could mean Williams could go full circle to the site of his previous record-breaking performance. Either way, he’ll be content with however his college career ends.
“I feel like I’m playing with house money at this point,” he said. “So I’m having as much fun as I can and being the best teammate I can be.”
Required reading
(Photo: Sam Wasson/Getty)
