Indiana quarterback Dexter Williams on accelerated timeline to return from torn ACL
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football coach Tom Allen said it’s safe to say Dexter Williams II will be fully cleared from the torn ACL he suffered last year by midseason.
It might even be a few weeks sooner than that.
“I was just talking to him about this last night, he's further along than we thought and he's further along than even he thought he would be,” Allen said, on Wednesday.
Williams has spent the open viewing portions of practice during fall camp working alongside Indiana’s other quarterbacks without any real limitations. He’s wearing a brace, but he’s competed in all the individual drills the media have been allowed to see.
“He had his final check-up prior to fall camp and that came back very positive,” Allen said. “From that meeting he had with his doctors, we felt like we could accelerate things for fall camp. He's been taking reps and feeling pretty good.”
Dexter Williams has torn his ACL twice during his collegiate career
Williams, who was a three-star prospect from Indiana’s 2020 signing class, won his first career start last season in a 39-31 win over Michigan State.
He only completed two of the seven passes he attempted, but his speed and athleticism helped Indiana’s rushing offense have its best performance of the year. The Hoosiers ran for a season-high 257 yards (5.8 yards per carry) with four touchdowns and Williams ended up running the ball 16 times for 86 yards and accounted for one of those scores.
The good vibes from the win didn’t last long as Williams suffered a torn ACL during the first of half in a loss to Purdue the following week. Williams had previously suffered a torn ACL in 2021 during spring practice.
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“He's such an awesome young man, everybody as teammates and coaches, you are pulling for the kid for what he's been through,” Allen said.
It’s unclear how much Williams will participate in the team’s scrimmage on Saturday, but Indiana isn’t going to rush things given the steady progress he’s made.
“I think there's no question because there's so much with your lower body that it affects your throwing that he still has to get used to that,” Allen said. “He's had some soreness not just in his knee, but other areas that you got to get ready… I know everybody is really pleased with where he's at, and he is too. But obviously hasn't had it to where he's cut it loose yet, that will be in time.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on Twitter @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana QB Dexter Williams ahead of schedule in return from torn ACL
