Utah State QB leaves school early to pursue Navy SEAL dream

From an outside perspective, Utah State’s dramatic, double-overtime, bowl-clinching 44-41 victory over New Mexico on Friday may have looked like the beginning of quarterback Levi Williams’ comeback story.

The third-string QB broke out with 351 all-purpose yards and five total touchdowns in his first start since 2021, and he still has a year of college eligibility left.

But the dynamic performance that clinched the Aggies’ ticket to bowl season looks more like a fairytale ending to the final chapter of his football book, as Williams plans to forego his final year of college to pursue his dream of becoming a ​​To become a Navy SEAL. Williams will complete his Master of Business Administration degree at USU’s business school in December.

“It’s always been in my heart my whole life. My mother was in the army. My grandparents were Army and Navy,” he said. “People in the military are always what I want to emulate because they are some of the best people and best teams in the world.”

The 22-year-old came to the decision about two years ago when a Navy chaplain spoke at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting that Williams attended. At the time, Williams was deciding between the Navy and Army Special Forces the chaplain put him in touch with a former SEAL whom he now trains with and looks to as a mentor.

It’s an unconventional path for an athlete who was rated a three-star prospect out of high school and still has the skills to succeed on the football field, but Utah State coach Blake Anderson says it’s a clear fit for Williams.

“This man is unique in every way. I think his true sense of selflessness and fighting for the man next to him is something tangible and real. You can see it,” Anderson said. “His ability to work and do hard things and fight through things that are difficult, difficult and painful is just something that is hard to see in our society today. I think he will do a great job. I can’t imagine there’s anyone better suited for what he wants to do. I am very proud of the path he has chosen.”

Before Friday, Williams was buried on the depth chart and played almost exclusively on special teams. A transfer from Wyoming, Williams became the first QB to rush for 200 yards and four touchdowns in a bowl while leading the Cowboys to a victory in the 2021 Famous Idaho potato bowl. But with Utah State, he entered the season as a backup Cooper Legas and McCae Hillstead.

When both QBs went down due to injury, Williams stepped in and the Aggies adjusted their offense to better suit his big arm strength and ability to make plays with his feet. Although Anderson said Williams has struggled with consistency in practice previously this season, he approached the starting role with calm confidence. Not even a car accident the Tuesday before the game could shake his nerves. Another driver stopped in front of Williams on the highway and totaled his car, he said, but he walked away without a scratch and took it as an omen.

“I said to my head coach, ‘You know what? “I think this is a sign that God really wants me to play in this game because if I didn’t, it could have been a lot worse,” he said.

Williams brought that swagger into the game and shared it with his teammates.

“When New Mexico decided to make a field goal in the second overtime, I looked at everyone on the sideline and said, ‘Okay, we’re going to win this game. That was a big mistake on their part. ”

He then sealed the victory with a 13-yard touchdown run on a play that started with a drop snap.

WHAT A MATCH!!!! @USUFootball wins on a long run by Levi Williams#On the top l #MWFB l #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/R1uRfJiKS1

— Mountain West (@MountainWest) November 25, 2023

Depending on which bowl game the Aggies get, Williams says he plans to play. The Athletics predicts that Utah State will face Georgia State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on December 23 which could mean Williams can come full circle to the spot of his previous record-breaking performance. Either way, he’ll be happy with the way his college career ends.

“I feel like I’m playing with house money right now,” he said. “So I’m just having as much fun as I can and being the best teammate I can.”

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(Photo: Sam Wasson/Getty)