Jamyest Williams posts solid day at tailback as Shawn Elliott’s team wins another bowl
Jamyest Williams’ story with South Carolina was a tale of what might have been.
He was the top recruit in Will Muschamp’s first class, holding a starting role as a freshman before getting hurt and then transferring to Georgia State. There were some who said at 5-foot-9, he should have been playing offense, using his speed in space and not having to match his size with SEC skill players. But the Gamecocks never had the secondary depth to move him over.
But he’s found a little life on the offensive side in Atlanta.
Williams ran for 45 of GSU’s 227 yards on the ground and added a catch for 11 yards, as the Panthers topped Western Kentucky 39-21 in the Lending Tree Bowl. It game former Gamecocks assistant Shawn Elliott his second bowl win in three tries and locked in a third winning season in four years.
Williams put up runs of 20 and 13 yards on a 77-yard TD drive that put GSU (6-4) up for good. The score was a 26-yard touchdown pass to Sam Pinckney, a Greenwood product the Gamecocks had offered at one point.
Williams finished up as the fourth-leading rusher at GSU with 47 catches and 253 yards. He also played a little defense, making four tackles with a forced fumble. The 45 rushing yards were his third-best of the season.
He was the No. 76 recruit in the country when he picked the Gamecocks. He put up 38 tackles and picked off two passes as an All-SEC freshman in 2017 as the team’s top nickel.
But opponents started going at him late that season. He moved to safety in the offseason, didn’t start early in 2018, and after breaking into the lineup, had his season ended with a shoulder injury.
He had trouble in the 2019 opener, and after four games, he abruptly put his name in the transfer portal, retaining his chance to redshirt. He got a waiver to play this season in Atlanta, near where he played his high school ball.
He was an explosive play-maker in high school, but the Gamecocks staff could never spare him from a thin secondary and didn’t try him as a returner (players such as Chris Lammons, Deebo Samuel, Shi Smith and Bryan Edwards held those spots).
Elliott has build a power rushing squad with the Panthers, getting a second winning season in a row after a 2-10 campaign in his second year on the job. He worked for seven years in Columbia, building some powerhouse offensive lines and helping add zone read elements to the Gamecocks attack.
The GSU has plenty of Palmetto State and Gamecocks connections, including former Gamecock Travian Robertson coaching the O-line, former Lexington head coach Josh Stepp coaching wide receivers, former Gamecocks defensive end Bryson Allen-Williams as a grad assistant, plus a slew of players from the state.
This story was originally published December 26, 2020 at 7:10 PM.
