12/26/2020 football Edit

Williams Enters NFL Draft, Opts Out Of Orange Bowl

Javonte WIlliams will enter the NFL draft and not play in the Orange Bowl next week. (ACC Media)

Andrew Jones • TarHeelIllustrated

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Andrew Jones has covered sports for 26 years, including all major college & professional sports for daily newspapers & national sites. He's done radio and TV & is entering his seventh year at THI.

North Carolina running back Javonte Williams has decided to enter the NFL draft and will not play in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 2 versus Texas A&M.

Williams made the announcement Saturday afternoon via Instagram:

“First and foremost, I would like to thank God for blessing me with the health and ability to play the game I love and allowing me to be in this position. Thank you Coach Brown and the staff for giving me countless opportunities to display my talents.

“Thank you Coach Fedora and Coach Tudryn for believing in me when no one else believed that I was capable of playing in a Power 5 conference.

“Thank you to all my friends and teammates who pushed me everyday to not only be a better player but also a better man. Thank you to the University of North Carolina for the last three years, which have been filled with memories that will last a lifetime.

“Last but not least, I want to send a special thank you to my family and the Gillespie family for sticking with me through the good and bad, and always being there when I needed someone to talk to or a home away from home!

“With that being said, I’ve decided to forego the bowl game and enter the 2021 NFL draft.”

Williams ran for 1,140 yards and 19 touchdowns on 157 carries, which is an average of 7.3 yards per attempt. He also caught 25 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns, giving him a single-season UNC record 22 touchdowns.

As a sophomore, Williams ran for 933 yards and for his Carolina career, he ran for 2,297 yards, 29 touchdowns and caught 50 passes for 539 yards and four scores.

Williams was not offered a scholarship by anyone until then-UNC head coach Larry Fedora extended him after Williams won the MVP in the state championship at Wallace-Rose Hill High School, which was played at Kenan Stadium. He also noted then-UNC DIrector of High School Relations Jason Tudryn in his Instagram post in addition to current running backs coach Robert Gillspie.

Williams is the fourth Tar Heel to opt out of the bowl game, joining Chazz Surratt, Michael Carter and Dyami Brown. The Tar Heels now lose 2,385 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns, plus 105 receptions for 1,671 yards and 13 touchdowns from their regular season production.