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In 2007, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida running back by the name of Johnny “Bo” Williams was as heralded as they came.
He was big, at 6-feet-1 and 224 pounds, and lighting fast, claiming he ran a 4.48 second 40-yard dash. In fact, Williams had multiple schools after him, as he was ranked as the 16th best running back in the country, and chose to stay in-state, selecting the University of Florida.
It didn’t work out in a Gator uniform for the man who self-titled the nickname Bo, after the great Bo Jackson. He had family problems, and needed to take care of his 15-year old sister on his own.
That’s where then-ISU coach Gene Chizik stepped in and offered the running back a spot in Ames.
Here is Bo Williams’s ISU career in an ISU uniform
There was a lot more flash than substance for the Floridian, as he fell off the map, didn’t get along with the coaching staff, and wasn’t the right fit for the Cyclones.
Williams ended up with two carries for 50 yards in his career at Iowa State, and ended up transferring to Bethune-Cookman.
I couldn’t find any stats on the man at BC, but who knows how he ended up.
In this article found in the Daytona Beach News-Journal a few years later, Williams testified against a close friend to a murder charge, and claimed the following while on the stand:
“Williams, 24, is a former running back who testified he was rated third in the state and fifth in the nation as a senior at an Oakland Park high school in South Florida. Williams said he now lives in Fort Lauderdale and is studying to get a doctoral degree in health care administration, and has a master’s from Iowa State.”
It makes me laugh that he told a judge he was a top recruit, even though he wasn’t. And that Bo received a Masters at Iowa State, even though he was only at school there for a short period of time.
Either way, a big swing and miss for the Chizik regime.