College Football

Kentucky Football: Boom Williams to Declare for NFL Draft

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:06 p.m. ET

Fansided, Chad Adams/FanSided via Wildcat Blue Nation

Kentucky Football: Wildcat sensation Stanley “Boom” Williams announces he will declare for NFL Draft, culminating a memorable career in Lexington

Nov 5, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Stanley Boom Williams (18) celebrates after scoring a touch down against the Georgia Bulldogs in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

The Kentucky Football program will say goodbye to a key component of a group of Wildcat players that, along with head coach Mark Stoops and staff, have turned it all around. Following the TaxSlayer Bowl loss to Georgia Tech, Stanley “Boom” Williams announced he will forgo his senior season and declare for the NFL Draft.

“There were a lot of things that played into that (decision),” Williams said. “Me and my family talked last night, just finalized the decision last night and told Coach Stoops after the game. It wasn’t an easy decision; it was very tough. I was stuck in a hard place in whether I wanted to come back or whether I wanted to leave. At the end of the day, we came to the decision to leave for the NFL.”

Williams rushed for 1,159 yards and seven touchdowns on the season; ever explosive, the junior averaged 7.1 yards per carry with a longest rush of 63 yards. Boom was the constant big-play threat in UK’s backfield, with the potential to find the end zone every time he touched the ball. Regardless of any stat line, Williams was key in UK’s resurgence this season and an important offensive player throughout his career.

“They’ve been great,” Williams said. “First two years, we were 5-7 and this year going 7-6 and being able to experience this moment with my teammates and everyone has been great. All I can say is ‘thank you’ to the fans, Coach Stoops, Mr. Barnhart, Dr. Capilouto for all of their support.”

Electrifying in space, and seemingly always playing hard, Williams became a fan favorite during his time in Lexington – a fact not lost on the NFL-bound running back.