Fighting Irish’s Williams invests in hometown of Hannibal by holding ‘Future Pro Day Combine’

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Aneyas Williams did not want to miss a chance to give back to the community that gave so much to him.

Together with Hannibal Youth Football director Beau Viehmann and an eager group of volunteers, Williams, a 2024 Hannibal graduate and sophomore running back for the University of Notre Dame, put together an NFL combine-esque camp — dubbed the “Future Pro Day Combine” — for first through eighth graders Sunday at Hannibal Middle School.

“I have a platform, and I want to make sure I use my platform in a good way,” said Williams, who accounted for more than 400 all-purpose yards and ran for two touchdowns in his freshman season with the Fighting Irish in 2024.

Viehmann was thankful an athlete with such a platform came back to his roots and volunteered his time to provide a memorable experience for the kids who represent the future of football in Hannibal and the surrounding area.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Viehmann said. “You don’t find many young guys who are invested in the community, invested in the youth and give back like he is. We’re incredibly blessed.”

The participants engaged in combine-like drills such as the 40-yard dash, broad jump, vertical jump, and more. Williams’ best marks in some of those drills were posted on the sign designating the drill, giving the young athletes a perspective on how a world-class athlete like Williams would perform in said drill.

“It’s cool for them to see where they stack up, where they are right now, what they have to strive for,” Williams said.

Williams and dozens of youth football players braved the rain, and the smiles equalled — if not eclipsed the number of raindrops that fell on the field that became sloppy by the camp’s end.

“The biggest thing for me is just to see who all comes out here today and make sure they have fun and enjoy it, and also the impression that it makes and setting the standard for what it is just to give back,” Williams said.

Williams spent the first hour of the camp throwing passes to the kids as they ran routes and even acted as a pseudo-corner back, guarding them as they tried to spring open for a pass, before signing autographs and taking pictures.

“Really just having a good time and something to remember, that’s the biggest thing,” Williams said. “The biggest thing for me was building relationships throughout camps with competitors. This one isn’t that serious, but I’m just making sure they have a good time and something to remember, and getting to interact with me, and I’ll leave a good impression on them so they get out here and compete. That’s a big thing. I think competition is good, especially at an early age.”

On a similar note, Williams has started planning an even bigger, more competitive camp for as early as 2026. He said the lack of such camps in the area, which could give athletes serious about playing college football much-needed exposure, was the driving factor behind the idea.

“My one thing throughout recruiting was there really wasn’t a competitive camp as far as exposure within two to three hours,” Williams said. “I want to try to bring one closer to the area for kids like me and kids who live out in this area to where it’s not a hike to go and practice because essentially that’s all a camp is — just a practice against better competition.”

Williams may see some familiar faces at that camp, but on Sunday, his goal was to relate to the youngsters as much as possible and show them that they can reach the same level as him someday.

“I just want them to see that I’m no different,” Williams said. “There’s a reason for everything. That’s a big thing. It doesn’t come easy, and there’s a reason behind my success — hard work — and I’m going to preach that to them and hopefully they see that. A lot of times you get caught up in, ‘Oh, he’s just naturally gifted.’ I mean, that’s true, but I wasn’t supposed to play last year. Hard work goes a long way. I just want to spread a message about how simple it really can be.”