BLACKSBURG Virginia Tech's loaded 2010 backfield will be down to just one proven tailback for the 2011 season after third-year sophomore Ryan Williams announced Sunday that he's leaving early for the NFL.
Williams took his time with the decision and considered returning to the Hokies for another season before finally following fellow Tech tailback Darren Evans, a fourth-year junior who said Thursday that he was turning professional.
"When they say you have the potential to be a first-rounder, that's something that's hard to pass up," Williams said in a school-released statement. He is widely projected to go no lower than the second round in April's draft. "This has been my dream since I was 6 and I've never wanted to do anything else."
Back in August, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that Williams would leave after this season. He'd rushed for a school-record 1,655 yards and 21 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2009. But then Williams partially tore a hamstring in Tech's third game of this season and missed the next four games.
Read More: Backfield suffers second hit as Williams also opts for NFL
