Kyren Williams Bio
Kyren Lawrence Williams (born August 26, 2000) is an American professional football running back for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected by the Rams in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft. Williams grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and attended St. John Vianney High School, excelling in both rushing and receiving during his high school career. He continued to make a significant impact at Notre Dame before joining the NFL, where he has been recognized for his performance and selected to the Pro Bowl.
Early Life and Background
Kyren Lawrence Williams was born on August 26, 2000, in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in the same city. He attended St. John Vianney High School in Kirkwood, Missouri, where he developed into one of the most productive offensive players in the state. As a junior, he rushed for 922 yards and 22 touchdowns and added 51 receptions for 774 yards and 12 touchdowns, showing a rare blend of running and pass-catching ability for a young back.
During his senior season, Williams rushed for 2,035 yards and 26 touchdowns and caught 55 passes for 725 yards and 14 touchdowns while leading St. John Vianney to an 11–3 record and the MSHSAA Class 5 State Championship. In the Class 5 final against Fort Osage, he ran for a state championship game-record 289 yards in a 28–14 victory and was later named the St. Louis Metro Area Offensive Player of the Year. On defense, he recorded 92 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five sacks, and eight interceptions, illustrating his two-way value. Rated a three-star recruit, he chose Notre Dame over offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford, and Wisconsin.
Path to the NFL
Williams joined the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as an early enrollee and appeared in the first four games of the 2019 season before preserving a year of eligibility, finishing his freshman campaign with 26 rushing yards on four carries and one reception for three yards. Named Notre Dame’s starting running back entering his sophomore year in 2020, he was recognized as the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Running Back of the Week after the opening week and went on to rush for 1,125 yards and 13 touchdowns on 211 carries while catching 35 passes for 313 yards and one touchdown. His play earned him second-team All-ACC, the ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year, and the overall ACC Rookie of the Year honors.
In his junior season of 2021, Williams remained Notre Dame’s starter and produced back-to-back standout performances against USC and North Carolina, rushing for 138 and 199 yards respectively in victories. He finished the year with 204 carries for 1,002 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns, along with 42 receptions for 359 yards and three receiving touchdowns, earning second-team All-American recognition. On December 10, 2021, Williams declared for the 2022 NFL draft and opted out of the Fiesta Bowl, formally ending his college career.
Kyren Williams Career
Early Career (2019–2021)
Williams’s early football career included a brief freshman role at Notre Dame in 2019 followed by a breakout sophomore campaign in 2020 that placed him among the top young running backs in the ACC. He followed that with a productive junior season in 2021, during which he became a focal point of the Fighting Irish offense and a second-team All-American. Across his three college seasons, he established himself as a complete back capable of contributing in both the running and passing games, setting the stage for his transition to the professional level.
His development at Notre Dame was marked by consistent production and an ability to handle a heavy workload, including 211 carries in 2020 and 204 in 2021. That volume, combined with his receiving skills and tackle-breaking style, made him an attractive prospect for NFL teams seeking a three-down back. By the end of his junior year, Williams had decided to turn professional and entered the 2022 draft process.
Los Angeles Rams Breakthrough (2022–2023)
Williams was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fifth round, 164th overall, of the 2022 NFL draft. His rookie year was disrupted by injuries, including a broken foot in June 2022 that required surgery and a high ankle sprain suffered on the first kick return of the season opener against the Buffalo Bills. Placed on injured reserve in September and activated in November, he appeared in ten games and finished with 35 carries for 139 yards and nine receptions for 76 yards without a touchdown.
Williams’s true breakthrough came in 2023. After scoring his first two career touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, he supplanted Cam Akers as the Rams’ starting running back and became the first player in franchise history to score multiple touchdowns in each of his first two games of a season. He recorded his first 100-yard rushing game at Indianapolis in Week 4 and produced a season-high 158 rushing yards against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6 before a left ankle sprain sent him to injured reserve. Returning in Week 12, he posted 143 rushing yards and two receiving touchdowns against Arizona and earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, sparking a six-game stretch in which he averaged 5.3 yards per carry and 114.7 yards per game.
Williams became the first Rams running back to surpass 1,000 rushing yards since Todd Gurley in 2018 and closed the regular season with 228 carries for 1,144 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, plus 32 receptions for 206 yards and three receiving touchdowns. He scored a career-high three touchdowns in a Week 17 win over the New York Giants that clinched a playoff berth and was subsequently named to the Pro Bowl and as a second-team All-Pro selection. He was ranked 78th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024.
Los Angeles Rams Era (2024–Present)
Williams entered 2024 as the Rams’ starter and immediately delivered multi-touchdown performances against Detroit and Arizona before scoring all three of the Rams’ touchdowns in a Week 3 win over San Francisco. He strung together a 10-game regular-season touchdown streak, surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the second straight season in a Week 14 win over Buffalo, and helped Los Angeles clinch the NFC West title with a Week 17 victory over Arizona. In the playoffs, he contributed against Minnesota in the Wild Card round before a critical fumble in an NFC Divisional Round loss to Philadelphia, finishing the year ranked 85th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2025.
On August 5, 2025, Williams signed a three-year, $33 million contract extension with the Rams. In the 2025 regular season, he surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the third straight year, becoming the first Rams back to accomplish that feat since Steven Jackson’s eight-season run from 2005 to 2012, and scored 10 or more rushing touchdowns for the third consecutive season. On December 4, 2025, Williams was named the Rams’ Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee.
In the 2025 postseason, Williams recorded his first career postseason rushing touchdowns during the NFC Divisional Round at Chicago, helping the Rams advance, and caught a touchdown pass in the NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks. Los Angeles fell 31–27 to Seattle, ending Williams’s season.
Driving Style and Strengths
Williams is a compact, low-center-of-gravity back listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 207 pounds who combines patience behind the line of scrimmage with explosive burst through the hole. His ability to contribute as a receiver out of the backfield and his vision in zone-read schemes have made him a centerpiece of the Rams’ offensive game plan, and his durability has allowed him to handle heavy workloads across three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among his signature moments, Williams set an MSHSAA Class 5 championship game record with 289 rushing yards as a senior, became the first Rams running back to top 1,000 yards since Todd Gurley in 2018, and matched a franchise record by scoring multiple touchdowns in each of his first two games of the 2023 season. His Week 12 performance against Arizona in 2023 earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors and signaled his arrival as one of the top young backs in the league.
Kyren Williams Career Wins
Williams’s career victories span the high school, college, and professional ranks. He captured an MSHSAA Class 5 State Championship with St. John Vianney in 2019, earned All-ACC and ACC Rookie of the Year honors with Notre Dame in 2020, and has been a steady winner with the Los Angeles Rams, helping the team clinch a playoff berth in 2023 and the NFC West title in 2024.
NFL Highlights
Williams opened his NFL scoring account with two touchdowns against Seattle in Week 1 of the 2023 season and has since delivered multiple game-winning or playoff-clinching performances, including a three-touchdown game against the New York Giants in Week 17 of 2023 and the Rams’ 27–24 victory over San Francisco in Week 3 of 2024 in which he scored all three Los Angeles touchdowns. He has surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in three consecutive seasons and was selected to the Pro Bowl and named second-team All-Pro following the 2023 campaign.
Other Performances
In college, Williams helped Notre Dame to notable wins over USC and North Carolina in 2021 and finished his junior year as a second-team All-American. His senior-year state championship game-record 289 rushing yards against Fort Osage remains one of the most celebrated individual performances in Missouri high school football history.
Kyren Williams Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public details about Kyren Lawrence Williams’s immediate family are limited. He has spoken about his Christian faith and its role in his life, and he has credited his upbringing in St. Louis with shaping his work ethic and competitive drive.
Personal Life
Williams is a first cousin of Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams, linking the two NFL players through their St. Louis-area family roots. Outside of football, he has been active in community work, which contributed to his selection as the Rams’ Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee in December 2025.
2025 Season Performance
Williams’s 2025 campaign began with a three-year, $33 million contract extension signed on August 5, 2025, that secured his long-term future with the Rams. He opened the year with a multi-touchdown performance against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5, though a late fumble at the one-yard line and a stopped fourth-down attempt contributed to a 26–23 overtime loss. He rebounded with a 25-carry, 114-yard, one-touchdown outing against the New Orleans Saints in Week 8, his first 100-yard rushing game of the season.
By the latter portion of the regular season, Williams had surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the third consecutive year, joined an exclusive Rams club last reached by Steven Jackson, and continued his streak of double-digit rushing touchdown seasons. On December 4, 2025, the Rams named him their Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee, recognizing both his on-field production and his community impact. He closed the regular season with 1,252 rushing yards on 259 carries and 10 rushing touchdowns, while also setting new career highs with 36 receptions for 281 yards and three receiving scores.
In the playoffs, Williams powered the Rams past the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Wild Card Round with a 13-yard touchdown reception, then recorded his first two career postseason rushing touchdowns in an NFC Divisional Round overtime win over the Chicago Bears. The Rams’ season ended with a 31–27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, a defeat that nevertheless cemented Williams’s standing as the offensive engine of one of the NFC’s most balanced teams heading into 2026.
