Xavier Williams News, Rumors, Updates - Iowa Hawkeyes

Leading rusher in victory Williams recorded 20 rushes for 78 yards and hauled in all two targets for 23 yards during Saturday's 30-0 win over Wisconsin.

Impact With fellow running back Kamari Moulton out for the rest of the season, Williams appears to be next up in the pecking order in the Iowa backfield. The 5-foot-10 junior put together a solid performance on Saturday, leading the way for the Hawkeyes on the ground with 78 yards on 3.9 YPC while accounting for 23 receiving yards on two receptions as well. With his expanded role, Williams will be hoping for bigger performances moving forward, with his next chance coming against Northwestern on Saturday.

NOVEMBER 2 • ROTOWIRE

No. 20 Oregon's trip to No. 12 USC highlights huge weekend in Big Ten schedule

No. 20 Oregon visits No. 12 Southern California in the biggest game of a huge weekend on the Big Ten schedule

SEPTEMBER 24 • Associated Press

Huge day in blowout Williams totaled six carries for 151 yards and three touchdowns and gathered in 2 of 3 targets for 16 yards during Saturday's 55-0 victory versus Northern Iowa.

Impact In the absence of both Kamari Moulton and L.J. Phillips, the Hawkeyes spread out rushing attempts on the day, and Williams certainly made the most of his opportunities. Though the 5-foot-10 running back saw just six rushing attempts on the day, he led the team in yards while ripping off a trio of touchdowns and averaging a ridiculous 25.2 YPC. Williams found the end zone on runs of 48, 16 and 37 yards in the first, second and third quarters, respectively, extending the insurmountable Iowa lead. When Moulton and/or Phillips return from their injuries, Williams may be pushed back in the depth chart, but Saturday's performance could go a long way to earning him snaps in the future. A road matchup against Michigan awaits on Saturday.

SEPTEMBER 21 • ROTOWIRE

No. 18 Iowa has three go over 100 yards rushing as Hawkeyes roll to 55-0 win over Northern Iowa

Iowa had three running backs in Xavier Williams, Nathan McNeil and Braeden Jackson rush for more than 100 yards apiece as the No. 18 Hawkeyes defeated Northern Iowa 55-0 on Saturda...

SEPTEMBER 19 • Associated Press

Northern Iowa Panthers vs No. 18 Iowa Hawkeyes Highlights 🏈 FOX College Football

SEPTEMBER 19 • FOX SPORTS

Iowa's Xavier Williams runs 37 yards for third TD of the day vs Northern Iowa

SEPTEMBER 19 • FOX SPORTS

Xavier Williams breaks free for a 48-yard TD to extend Iowa's lead to 21 vs Northern Iowa

SEPTEMBER 19 • FOX SPORTS

Buhr hits 42-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to lift No. 21 Iowa past Iowa State, 16-13

Caden Buhr made a 42-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to give No. 21 Iowa a 16-13 victory over Iowa State on Saturday night

SEPTEMBER 13 • Associated Press

No. 22 Iowa uses defense, Moulton's running game to beat Northern Illinois 40-0

Kamari Moulton ran for a career-high 183 yards and two touchdowns and No. 22 Iowa’s defense shut down Northern Illinois in a 40-0 victory Saturday in the season opener for both tea...

SEPTEMBER 5 • Associated Press

New starters at No. 22 Iowa must get up to speed in a hurry with challenging start to Big Ten play

Kirk Ferentz heads into his 28th season as head coach and there’s no sign he’s letting up

AUGUST 17 • Associated Press

Iowa holds off Vanderbilt's comeback bid for 34-27 victory in the ReliaQuest Bowl

Mark Gronowski threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another to lead Iowa to a 34-27 win over No. 13 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl

DECEMBER 31, 2025 • Associated Press

Good to go Wednesday Williams (undisclosed) isn't listed on the injury report ahead of Wednesday's bowl game against Vanderbilt.

Impact Williams missed Iowa's regular-season finale due to an undisclosed injury, but he's been given the green light to face Vanderbilt. The second-year running back will likely serve as a tertiary option Wednesday behind Kamari Moulton and Jaziun Patterson.

DECEMBER 31, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Out for Week 14 Williams (undisclosed) is out for Friday's game at Nebraska.

Impact For the first time since Week 5, Williams will not log any counting stats because of an undisclosed problem. Since then, he has recorded 18 rushing attempts for 74 yards and two touchdowns. Iowa will participate in a bowl game, with its date still to be determined.

NOVEMBER 28, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Two scores in blowout Williams notched seven rushes for 55 yards and two touchdowns and caught their only target for six yards during Saturday's 37-0 victory over Wisconsin.

Impact Williams made the most of his limited opportunities on the day, finding the end zone on two of his seven rushing attempts against the Badgers while averaging an impressive 7.9 yards per attempt on the ground. The 5-foot-10 running back crossed the goal line on runs of 29 and 19 yards in the third and fourth quarters, respectively. Coming off an arm injury that kept him out of action for the team's last two contests, Williams took a backseat to fellow running back Kamari Moulton in this one but will hope to see a larger role against Penn State on Saturday.

OCTOBER 13, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Williams, Gronowski and Moulton help Iowa run over Wisconsin 37-0 to keep Heartland Trophy

Iowa dominates Wisconsin 37-0 on Saturday night

OCTOBER 12, 2025 • Associated Press

Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Wisconsin Badgers Highlights | FOX College Football

OCTOBER 12, 2025 • FOX SPORTS

Xavier Williams rushes for 29-yard TD, extending Iowa's lead over Wisconsin

OCTOBER 12, 2025 • FOX SPORTS

Ready to roll vs. Badgers Williams (arm) is good to go against Wisconsin on Saturday night.

Impact Williams is set to return after a two-game absence. The tailback was certainly involved in Iowa's ground game before missing time with his arm ailment, logging 26 carries for 186 yards and a touchdown through three games. He'll pair with Kamari Moulton as Iowa tries to penetrate a strong Badgers rushing defense Saturday night.

OCTOBER 11, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Ready to roll vs. Badgers Williams (arm) is good to go against Wisconsin on Saturday night.

OCTOBER 11, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Expected to go vs. Wisconsin Williams (arm) is expected to play in Iowa's road test against Wisconsin, per Ethan Petrik of the Sioux City Journal.

Impact Williams has missed the last two games, but he's expected to return against the Badgers. The tailback tallied 186 yards and a touchdown through three games, also catching four passes for 24 yards. With Terrell Washington and Jaziun Patterson also out, he figures to see the majority of the touches behind starter Kamari Moulton.

OCTOBER 8, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Won't play Saturday Williams (arm) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against Indiana, Zach Hiney of Hawkeyes Wire reports.

Impact Williams will miss a second straight game after sustaining an arm injury in Week 3. The severity of the injury remains unknown as Williams will look to return to the fold as soon as possible after opening up the season with 122 yards on the ground versus Albany.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Remains out vs. Scarlet Knights Williams (arm) won't be available against Rutgers on Friday night.

Impact The tailback will miss his first game of the 2025 campaign, but the good news for Iowa is that presumed starter Kamari Moulton is back healthy for Friday night. Williams was a significant part of this backfield through three weeks, tallying 26 carries for 186 yards and one touchdown, but the Iowa ground game should go through Moulton, Jaziun Patterson and Terrell Washington on Friday night.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Won't suit up Friday Williams (arm) won't be available for Iowa's trip to Piscataway on Friday night, per David Eickholt of 247Sports.com.

Impact Williams is reportedly set to miss "a couple weeks," per head coach Kirk Ferentz. That means Williams will likely miss Week 5 against Indiana as well. Hawkeyes' tailback Kamari Moulton has a chance to play against Rutgers, but if not, it'll likely be Terrell Washington and Jizuan Patterson once again in Iowa's backfield.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Leaves game with injury Williams left Saturday's 47-7 win against UMass with an arm injury, Josh Helmer of Hawkeyes Wire reports.

Impact After an early exit in Week 3, Williams was seen on the sidelines wearing a sling around his injured arm. As a result of the injury, he enters Week 4 questionable, going into Friday's game at Rutgers.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Quiet against Cyclones Williams recorded seven carries for 26 yards and hauled in their only target for negative two yards during Saturday's 16-13 defeat to Iowa State.

Impact Following up on his breakout performance in Iowa's season opener, Williams was held in check against Iowa State, totaling just 26 yards on the ground on 3.7 yards per carry. Thesilver lining for the 5-foot-110 redshirt freshman is that he was not alone in his struggles, as the Hawkeyes managed just 214 yards of offense on the day while averaging 3.4 yards per attempt on the ground as a team. Fellow running back Jaziun Patterson put together a fairly productive day, however, running for 60 yards on a team-leading 11 rushing attempts, creating competition with Williams for the top spot in the backfield. A matchup against UMass on Saturday will serve as his next opportunity to make an impact.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

XAVIER WILLIAMS NEWS

NEWS

BIO

STATS

VIDEOS

GAME LOG

No. 20 Oregon's trip to No. 12 USC highlights huge weekend in Big Ten schedule

No. 18 Iowa has three go over 100 yards rushing as Hawkeyes roll to 55-0 win over Northern Iowa

Northern Iowa Panthers vs No. 18 Iowa Hawkeyes Highlights 🏈 FOX College Football

Iowa's Xavier Williams runs 37 yards for third TD of the day vs Northern Iowa

Xavier Williams breaks free for a 48-yard TD to extend Iowa's lead to 21 vs Northern Iowa

Buhr hits 42-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to lift No. 21 Iowa past Iowa State, 16-13

No. 22 Iowa uses defense, Moulton's running game to beat Northern Illinois 40-0

New starters at No. 22 Iowa must get up to speed in a hurry with challenging start to Big Ten play

Iowa holds off Vanderbilt's comeback bid for 34-27 victory in the ReliaQuest Bowl

Williams, Gronowski and Moulton help Iowa run over Wisconsin 37-0 to keep Heartland Trophy

Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Wisconsin Badgers Highlights | FOX College Football

Xavier Williams rushes for 29-yard TD, extending Iowa's lead over Wisconsin