Penn State Football: Nittany Lions Hoping To Wrap Up Philly Running Back Williams

With a quarterback already in the fold for the recruiting Class of 2013, Penn State Coach Bill O’Brien and running backs Coach Charles London have turned their focus toward landing David Williams, a high-profile running back that would give the Nittany Lions’ offense much-needed balance.

Williams, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound running back from West Catholic High School in Philadelphia, picked up an offer from Penn State following Junior Day last month.

Senior wildcat/wide receiver Curtis Drake also is a graduate of the same high school.

“I liked what I heard when I visited,” Williams said. “I had a good talk with Coach London and Coach O’Brien. They’ve told me all along that I would be their only running back for the class.”

In addition to Penn State, Williams also holds scholarship offers from a growing list of major college football programs, including Ohio State, Notre Dame, Temple, Wisconsin, Purdue and Michigan State.

Williams is rated a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and the 17th-best running back in the Class of 2013. As a junior, Williams rushed for more than 1,500 yards and 16 touchdowns on 230 carries. The season before, he carried the ball 100 times for 924 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Williams joins a stable of backs that currently hold scholarship offers from Penn State. They include Ty Issac from Joliet Catholic Academy in Joliet, Ill., rated the top running back in the country by Rivals.com; Greg Bryant from American Heritage School in Delray Beach, Fla., Ezekiel Elliott from John Burroughs School in St. Louis and Derrick Green from Hermitage High School in Richmond, Va.

Related coverage:

• StateCollege.com’s Penn State football page

• Penn State Football: Danny O’Brien Tour Hits Happy Valley, Reports Say