Gulf Coast RB Walter Williams hopes to head back to Louisiana-Lafayette
It appears Walter Williams is going to be a Ragin' Cajun once again.
The former Vancleave High standout and current Gulf Coast running back said he plans to transfer back to Louisiana-Lafayette after just one semester in Perkinston.
The timeline, Williams said, is all that remains in the air.
Williams said if he transfers back for the spring semester he'll have to be a walk-on until players report in the summer. If he waits until June, Williams said he'll go on scholarship immediately.
"I never really wanted to leave," Williams told the Sun Herald on Wednesday. "Some things went down, but when I left I said I was going to take this year at JUCO and better myself and sure enough they started to call me back."
Summer dismissal
After going through spring drills, Williams was dismissed in late July for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Williams described the issue as a chemistry problem that has since been resolved.
Williams showed potential during his brief time with the Ragin' Cajuns as he rushed for a team-best 65 yards -- 66 on one touchdown run -- during the team's spring game.
Soon after, Williams transferred to Gulf Coast, where he was a part of a part of a four-way timeshare at running back. Serving mostly as the fourth back in the rotation, Williams rushed 75 times for 272 yards with two touchdowns.
"(Transferring to Gulf Coast) was worth it. I learned a lot personally," Williams said. "It gave me a year to get better and learn how to be a college running back."
At the time of his dismissal, ULL coach Mark Hudspeth wished Williams well in a press release. Now he's welcoming Williams back with open arms.
"They told me they never really wanted to let me go, either, but they felt like I never really wanted to be there," Williams said. "When I told them I wanted to come back, they were just as happy as I was."
Immediate playing time
If standout junior running back Elijah McGuire opts to leave early for the NFL draft -- there are reports he's "testing the waters" -- it could pave the way for Williams to see significant playing time in 2016 as the next three ULL leading rushers include a senior and two quarterbacks.
"That would make it easier to go back because if I go back I know I'll be going back to playing time," said Williams, who expects to be immediately eligible for the 2016 season. "If I pick up where I left off, I'll be fine."
Should everything work out, Williams would join rising junior running back Darius Hoggins, redshirt freshman Jordan Wright and senior Jentrell Oliver. According to Rivals.com, ULL does not have a 2016 running back committed.
Gulf Coast depth
As for Gulf Coast, Williams transferring leaves the Bulldogs with two experienced backs in rising sophomores T'Rod Daniels and Ge'Vonte Jones, who combined for 1,013 yards and six touchdowns.
This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 3:29 PM with the headline "Gulf Coast RB Walter Williams hopes to head back to Louisiana-Lafayette."