Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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62 MARCH 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER A neyas Williams' high school career was one for the record books. Literally. According to Hannibal (Mo.) High head coach Jeffrey Gschwender, Wil- liams holds 18 school records, and his career program-setting records are mind-boggling: 177 receptions, 3,249 yards receiving, 61 touchdown recep- tions, 152 total touchdowns, 11 two- point conversions, 937 total points, 4 punt return scores and punt return av- erage of 27.13 yards. His point and touchdown totals are second-best in Missouri high school football history. Williams also rushed for 4,255 yards on 477 carries, an average of 8.92 yards per run. "He has a ton of rushing touchdowns, a ton of receiving touchdowns, a handful of interception and return touchdowns and four passing scores," Gschwender said during a phone interview with Blue & Gold Illustrated. "He scored in about every aspect that you can. He was also our field goal kicker for a couple years." Williams, who stands at 5-foot-10, 207 pounds and ranks as the No. 24 run- ning back nationally and No. 9 player from his home state of Missouri per On3, committed to Notre Dame back on Dec. 16, 2022 and signed with the Irish about a year later. He enrolled at the university in January. Before he was a consensus four-star prospect, Williams was considered "the next best thing" when he was in middle school. But high school coaches such as Gschwender would be rich if they received a nickel every time they heard, 'You have to see this kid.' Williams, though, was the exception. He does have quite the athletic back- ground. His late father, Lydell Williams Jr., was a 1996 graduate of Hannibal High and played football and track and field for the Pirates. He went on to play ball at Missouri Southern University and served in the U.S. Army. The elder Williams passed in September 2016. Aneyas' uncle was also a standout ath- lete at Hannibal High. The class of 2024 playmaker lived up to the expectations and then some. "In junior high is when you really went, holy cow," Gschwender said. "It was just unfair. He was a man among boys. It was like a varsity kid play- ing against seventh graders. And after a couple games, they put him on the eighth-grade team. And again, he was dominating. "I had people telling me, 'This kid is going to be a starting tailback for you as a freshman.' I'm still thinking to myself, 'High school varsity is a heck of a lot different than junior high. We'll see how he does when he's hit by a 200-pound linebacker.'" Gschwender quickly saw how his new offensive weapon would fare when hit at the varsity level, and any questions he had were erased quickly. Williams' freshman campaign was sensational, Williams will look to make an early impact at Notre Dame after racking up 4,255 yards rushing, 3,249 receiv- ing and 152 total touchdowns in his four-year career at Hannibal (Mo.) High. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER The Incredible High School Career of Aneyas Williams