photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas running back Leshon Williams runs through drills during the first practice of spring on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

Kansas offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski equates what running back Leshon Williams might have been experiencing when he came to KU to a “midlife crisis” — even as he acknowledges that Williams is too young for that sort of label.

“Take football out of it,” Zebrowksi said. “I think sometimes in life, people need a reboot. Sometimes you just need a new job … You’ve seen it all over. I think he just got in a place where I think a lot of people have been in different jobs, let alone in football.”

Strength coach Matt Gildersleeve could tell the veteran running back wasn’t in the best state when he arrived in Lawrence.

“To be able to do what we do, it took him a long time to get there,” Gildersleeve said.

And now?

“From where he was in practice one in the spring to where he ended up and now where he’s at is really leaps and bounds,” Leipold said.

Williams said KU has brought back his joy for the game, both mentally and physically.

“You shouldn’t be out there playing football and not having fun,” he said. “So just for them to bring back the joy and the love of the game has been great for me.”

Gildersleeve added: “When you talk to him, he’s (like), ‘I have the love of the game back again. I’m happy to wake up and do this every day, I’m passionate about playing again.’ And we could see that this summer in how he approached his training and how he did everything.”

Williams isn’t far removed from accomplishing quite a bit at the highest levels of college football. During his junior season at Iowa, in 2023, he carried the ball 170 times for 821 yards as the Hawkeyes’ primary running back. That was on one of the nation’s worst offenses with a starting quarterback who threw for five touchdowns on the season. As Williams said in the spring, he is at this point used to teams loading the box against him.

The 2024 season was not a banner year for the Chicago native, to the point that he entered the transfer portal in October, having missed time in camp and then played in just three games with 11 carries. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said at the time of Williams’ departure that he hadn’t been fully healthy since April.

When he made it to KU in January to commence his final year of college football, Williams wasn’t in great shape, Leipold said.

The start of his fall camp has been much better.

“It feels like I’ve been here for five years already, you know?” he said. “All the guys, we’re all getting along good, we’re all working together, we’re all going out there, competing, fighting each other, working hard and getting better.”

Running backs coach Jonathan Wallace met with reporters on Thursday, a day when Williams had pulled off a couple of solid runs in practice, Wallace said.

One strength of Williams’ is his experience, which allows him to read defenses. Another is the same brutal physicality that characterizes KU’s presumptive starting running back, fellow sixth-year senior Daniel Hishaw Jr.

“One thing that I really like about Leshon is he never stops his feet on contact,” Wallace said. “He continues to run his feet. He can move piles. He’s very decisive as a runner. And I think that’s what makes him a really good back.”

Leipold called Williams “a great complement.” But as Wallace has said, Williams and Hishaw may have more in common than what separates them. Williams was asked to compare and contrast their styles and responded, “I’ll leave that up to y’all, man.”

“Whether it’s at separate times or the same time, we got two great running backs,” Hishaw said.

Their similarities seem to extend off the field. Hishaw has garnered praise from numerous coaches and teammates for being in the best headspace of his career. As for Williams, Leipold said he has “a new lease on football.”

“When he stepped in here he was that quiet guy, as most new guys are when they come in,” tight end DeShawn Hanika said, “but he’s really stepping out of his shell. That 1-2 combo in the backfield, it’s going to be special.”

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas running back Leshon Williams takes part in spring practice on Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: AP Photo/Cliff Jette

Iowa running back Leshon Williams (4) evades a tackle by Purdue defensive back Cam Allen (10) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa.