BYU football: The daunting task of replacing Jamaal Williams

BYU football has a tall order this season. The Cougars need to find a way to replace their all-time leading rusher, Jamaal Williams.

The BYU football program faces a harsh reality in 2017:  there will be no more J Swag Daddy tearing up the turf in Provo.  The bell cow running back is off to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field and BYU coaches are left to figure out how they will replace the school’s all-time leading rusher.

The question will loom over Fall Camp, just how do the Cougars replace Jamaal Williams?  The simple answer:

They can’t.  And they shouldn’t try to.

Reality is, last year’s offense was overly reliant on the running game and did not feature enough balance.  In order to be successful in year 2, Ty Detmer‘s offense must produce a significantly more potent passing attack than we saw in 2016 (where the Cougars finished a dismal 96th in the nation in passing).

Tanner Mangum is well suited for Detmer’s pro style system.  There is good reason to believe that we will see an improvement in the passing game with Mangum behind center.

A pro style offense cannot succeed however, without a credible threat from the running game.  Without a player of Jamaal’s caliber, how will the BYU coaches develop their ground attack?

We will likely see a running back by committee approach this fall.  The good news is, the Cougars have some quality young talent to fill out said committee.  The fact that BYU returns an experienced offensive line will also greatly will help in the running game.

Let’s take a look at the top contenders to earn carries this fall