D.J. Williams ‘getting after it’ since returning

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Auburn running back D.J. Williams ‘getting after it’ since returning to practice this week

Updated 12:51 PM; Today 12:51 PM

Sophomore running back D.J. Williams was held out of Auburn's first fall scrimmage after being limited early in fall camp.Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

Auburn welcomed back its leading returning rusher to practice this week after he was limited to start fall camp.

Sophomore D.J. Williams, who was in an orange non-contact jersey on the first day of practices and held out of Saturday’s scrimmage, was introduced back to the fold when the team returned to the field Tuesday, according to fellow running back Shaun Shivers.

“We missed him while he was gone, but now he’s been getting after it since he got back,” Shivers said Wednesday.

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said after the team’s first scrimmage that Williams would “be ready next week” after being held out with an undisclosed injury. Now, the 5-foot-10, 208-pounder is back in the mix as Auburn tries to sort out its running back situation this preseason.

After the February departure of leading rusher Boobee Whitlow, Auburn is tasked with reconfiguring its backfield under first-year coordinator Chad Morris and second-year running backs coach Cadillac Williams. The Tigers have five backs vying for touches, with Williams and Shivers the two most experienced options.

Shivers, a junior, has appeared in 25 games through his first two seasons and has rushed for 657 yards and six touchdowns on 125 carries while serving in a complementary role out of the backfield, though he started three games last season. Williams emerged as a true freshman midseason last year and started two games late in the year, finishing the season with 400 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 84 carries.

With Whitlow out of the picture this offseason, Williams returns as the Tigers’ leading rusher heading into 2020.

“D.J., that’s our guy,” Shivers said. “He’s going to always perform well. D.J., you know, he’ll be looking real good.”

Though Wednesday marks just Williams’ second day back in action this fall, it was a welcome return for the sophomore out of Lake Placid, Fla., as he tries to discern himself in a backfield that also includes a pair of former top-100 prospects in redshirt freshman Mark-Antony Richards and true freshman Tank Bigsby, as well as redshirt sophomore Harold Joiner.

“(Williams) was always telling me he can’t wait until he gets back,” Shivers said. “He was just missing the game, missing the feeling of football, but now that he’s back, he loves it.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.