BuccaneersFan.com • Player Spotlight • Tampa Bay No. 18
Current official roster portrait: Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Running back • LSU
From LSU walk-on to the Buccaneers’ backfield
Josh Williams
- Born
- June 9, 2000 • Age 26
- Hometown
- Houston, Texas
- Listed size
- 5 feet 9 inches • 210 pounds
- High school
- The Kinkaid School • Houston, Texas
- College
- LSU • 2019–2024
- NFL entry
- 2025 • Undrafted free agent • Tampa Bay
- Buccaneers career
- 2025–present
- Jersey
- No. 18
- Current status
- Practice squad • As of November 3, 2026
Birthdate: Buccaneers guide, PDF p. 229. Background and listed size: Buccaneers profile. Current status: team roster.
Education: LSU’s two-degree feature. Football milestones use the original annual records below.
Josh Williams arrived at LSU as a preferred walk-on and earned a scholarship after the 2020 training camp. LSU’s account of that progression. By his final college season, he had been entrusted with the Tigers’ No. 18 jersey, an honor recognizing the way he represented the program. The story behind his LSU No. 18. His path to Tampa Bay includes work as a runner, a receiver and a kickoff returner.
Houston • Baton Rouge • Tampa Bay
Earning his place at every step
Choosing the challenge at LSU Houston to Baton Rouge • 2019.
Williams attended The Kinkaid School in Houston. His Buccaneers background. He chose LSU’s preferred walk-on opportunity over scholarship offers elsewhere, explaining that he wanted to test himself at that level. His first LSU year was spent developing on the scout team. His account of choosing LSU.
Earning the scholarship A step forward after 2020 camp.
LSU awarded Williams a scholarship at the end of its 2020 training camp. The university’s original scholarship chronology. The change came after his first year in the program; his actual game appearances began in 2020. The college tables below distinguish that playing record from his 2019 redshirt year.
The responsibility of No. 18 LSU • 2024.
When coach Brian Kelly presented him with LSU’s No. 18, Williams described feeling surprised and grateful. He said the responsibility encouraged him to become more vocal, arrange player meetings and communicate with teammates. LSU’s final-season feature. It was a leadership honor earned during his time in Baton Rouge.
An NFL opportunity in Tampa Bay Undrafted entry • 2025.
The Buccaneers signed Williams as an undrafted college free agent on May 9, 2025. The official signing record. He made Tampa Bay’s initial active roster as a rookie before returning on the practice squad in 2026. The team’s account of his first two seasons.
Recognition along the way
Recognition for the walk-on journey Burlsworth semifinalist • 2022.
Williams was named a 2022 Burlsworth Trophy semifinalist, recognition for a player who began college without an athletic scholarship. The original semifinalist announcement. LSU also selected him for its Percy E. Roberts Most Outstanding Offensive Player honor that season. The university’s 2022 awards and graduation account.
Academic recognition National Football Foundation • 2023.
He earned William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist recognition in 2023 and was included in the NFF Hampshire Honor Society. LSU’s announcement also identifies his membership in the Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society. The original academic-honors announcement.
November 12, 2022 • Fayetteville, Arkansas
The running game that helped LSU get through Arkansas
A close road victory
118
RUSHING YARDS AT ARKANSAS
LSU 13 • Arkansas 10
18 carries. One rushing touchdown.
Williams carried 18 times for 118 yards in LSU’s 13–10 win at Arkansas. His one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter supplied the Tigers’ only touchdown of the game. He also caught one pass for nine yards. The original gamebook, PDF pp. 1–2.
The university’s December graduation release singled out that Arkansas performance while recognizing his season and his work in the classroom. LSU’s contemporary season account. It is a useful snapshot of Williams’ college story: a larger role on the field arriving alongside another milestone away from it.
Tampa Bay • 2025–present
Staying ready for the next opportunity
Williams is on the Buccaneers’ practice squad as of November 3, 2026. Tampa Bay’s current roster. He returned to the practice squad on August 31 and was elevated for the Cincinnati and Pittsburgh games. The official 2026 transactions. The participation record below identifies which elevation produced an actual appearance.
His 47-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter of the Cincinnati opener helped set up Tampa Bay’s final touchdown drive. The team’s account of his return contribution. It was a contribution from a player called up for that week’s game.
The person behind No. 18
Beyond the stat sheet
Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing in December 2022. LSU’s commencement announcement. He completed his MBA in December 2023. The university’s account of both completed degrees. In that later interview, he connected his academic work with organizing his time and keeping his attention on the right responsibilities.
A basketball trip before high school A wider world of competition.
Williams grew up playing basketball, baseball and football. Before entering high school, he traveled to China with Hakeem Olajuwon and Mengke Bateer’s basketball academy, bringing American and Chinese players together. He recalled the experience in LSU’s 2022 feature about his path to college football. His original account of the trip.
Service in Baton Rouge and beyond SEC Community Service Team • 2024.
His 2024 SEC Community Service Team selection recognized work with the Baton Rouge Food Bank, hospital visits, school reading and youth mentoring. He also joined LSU teammates on a May 2023 trip to Senegal combining study and cultural learning with community service projects. The SEC service-selection announcement.
In Tampa Bay, Williams participated in the Player Student Mentoring Program at AdventHealth Training Center on September 21, 2026. The Buccaneers’ official gallery identifies him at that event. The team’s mentoring-program photos.
NFL regular season • Career through Week 8, 2026
The NFL career record
These records cover actual NFL regular-season appearances. The asterisk marks the incomplete 2026 season through November 1, Week 8. Preseason is excluded.
| Season | G | GS | ATT | Rush YDS | AVG | LNG | Rush TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 2.8 | 4 | 0 |
| 2026* | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 |
| NFL career | 4 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 2.8 | 4 | 0 |
G = actual games; GS = starts; ATT = carries; YDS = net yards; AVG = yards per attempt; LNG = longest gain; TD = touchdowns. A dash in AVG or LNG means no qualifying attempt.
| Season | KR | KR YDS | KR AVG | KR LNG | KR TD | FUM | Lost | All-purpose YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 129 | 25.8 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 140 |
| 2026* | 1 | 47 | 47.0 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 |
| NFL career | 6 | 176 | 29.3 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 187 |
KR = kickoff returns. FUM and Lost count personal fumbles across phases. All-purpose yards combine rushing, receiving and return yards. Williams has no NFL receptions or punt returns in this period. Averages use the combined counts.
Original 2025 record: participation and rushing, PDF p. 230 and final returns and fumbles, PDF p. 277. Current-season gamebooks are linked below.
NFL postseason
Williams has no actual NFL postseason appearances through this update. Tampa Bay did not qualify after the 2025 season; the 2026 postseason is beyond this page’s cutoff.
September 13–November 1, 2026
One appearance from two practice-squad elevations
| Week | Date | Opponent | TB result | Status | G | GS | KR | KR YDS | OFF snaps | ST snaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 13 | @CIN | L 27–33 | Played — reserve | 1 | 0 | 1 | 47 | 0 | 5 |
| 2 | Sep 20 | CLE | L 19–23 | PS — not elevated | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | Sep 27 | MIN | L 16–23 | PS — not elevated | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Oct 4 | GB | L 14–17 | PS — not elevated | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | Oct 8 | @DAL | W 24–16 | PS — not elevated | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Oct 18 | PIT | L 19–26 OT | Elevated — DNP | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Oct 25 | @CAR | W 43–13 | PS — not elevated | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | Nov 1 | ATL | W 16–0 | PS — not elevated | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| 2026 total | Through Nov 1 | Tampa Bay | — | 1 appearance | 1 | 0 | 1 | 47 | 0 | 5 |
PS = practice squad; DNP = did not play. The Cincinnati game counts as an appearance; the Pittsburgh elevation does not. Dashes in performance and snap columns mark nonappearances. OFF and ST are offense and special teams; the gamebooks label these snap counts unofficial playtime.
Results are from Tampa Bay’s perspective; @ = away. CIN = Cincinnati; CLE = Cleveland; MIN = Minnesota; GB = Green Bay; DAL = Dallas; PIT = Pittsburgh; CAR = Carolina; ATL = Atlanta.
Original final gamebooks: Week 1 · Week 2 · Week 3 · Week 4 · Week 5 · Week 6 · Week 7 · Week 8. Cincinnati playtime: PDF p. 18. Pittsburgh DNP: PDF p. 1.
LSU • 2019–2024
The college record
The college tables cover five actual LSU seasons, 2020–2024. His nonplaying 2019 year remains outside these totals: LSU’s original career report, PDF p. 29 records no appearances that season.
LSU • 2020–2024
| Season | G | GS | ATT | Rush YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 10 | 0 | 22 | 88 | 4.0 | 30 | 0 |
| 2021 | 13 | 0 | 23 | 107 | 4.7 | 24 | 0 |
| 2022 | 11 | 6 | 97 | 532 | 5.5 | 50 | 6 |
| 2023 | 13 | 4 | 55 | 284 | 5.2 | 41 | 5 |
| 2024 | 13 | 7 | 117 | 482 | 4.1 | 23 | 6 |
| Original annual-report total | 60 | 17 | 314 | 1,493 | 4.8 | 50 | 17 |
These tables sum the original annual reports: 1,493 rushing yards, 2,093 scrimmage yards and 2,150 all-purpose yards. The 2021 final report, PDF p. 4 records 107 rushing yards; LSU’s later official career report, PDF p. 108 lists 108 for 2021 and 1,494 career rushing yards. The retained reports do not explain that one-yard difference.
G = actual appearances; GS = starts; ATT = carries; YDS = net yards; AVG = yards per carry; LNG = longest run; TD = touchdowns. Total averages use combined yards and attempts.
Original annual rushing, receiving and return statistics: 2020 statistics, PDF p. 4 · 2021 statistics, PDF p. 4 · 2022 statistics, PDF p. 3 · 2023 statistics, PDF p. 3 · 2024 statistics, PDF p. 7. Games and starts: 2020 G/GS, PDF p. 17 · 2021 G/GS, PDF p. 13 · 2022 G/GS, PDF p. 13 · 2023 G/GS, PDF p. 9 · 2024 G/GS, PDF p. 12.
| Season | REC | Rec YDS | AVG | LNG | Rec TD | Scrim YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 88 |
| 2021 | 5 | 11 | 2.2 | 17 | 0 | 118 |
| 2022 | 21 | 132 | 6.3 | 21 | 0 | 664 |
| 2023 | 14 | 194 | 13.9 | 45 | 1 | 478 |
| 2024 | 31 | 263 | 8.5 | 23 | 0 | 745 |
| Original annual-report total | 71 | 600 | 8.5 | 45 | 1 | 2,093 |
REC = receptions; receiving AVG is yards per catch; receiving LNG is the longest catch. Scrim YDS combines rushing and receiving yards. An em dash indicates no applicable average or longest gain when there were no catches or returns.
| Season | KR | KR YDS | AVG | LNG | KR TD | TKL | All-purpose YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3 | 41 | 13.7 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 129 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 118 |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 1 | 664 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 1 | 478 |
| 2024 | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 761 |
| Original annual-report total | 5 | 57 | 11.4 | 28 | 0 | 5 | 2,150 |
KR = kickoff returns; this AVG is yards per kickoff return. TKL = total tackles. All-purpose yards here combine scrimmage and kickoff-return yards. The original reports credit no punt returns or passing attempts.
All-purpose and defensive records: 2020 all-purpose, PDF p. 6 / tackles, PDF p. 7 · 2021 all-purpose, PDF p. 6 / tackles, PDF pp. 7–8 · 2022 all-purpose, PDF p. 5 / tackles, PDF p. 8 · 2023 all-purpose, PDF p. 5 / tackles, PDF p. 8 · 2024 all-purpose, PDF p. 9 / tackles, PDF p. 10.
College postseason
| Season | Date | Event | Opponent | LSU result | G | GS | Rush ATT | Rush YDS | Rush TD | REC | Rec YDS | Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Jan 4, 2022 | Texas Bowl | Kansas State | L 20–42 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Dec 3, 2022 | SEC Championship Game | Georgia | L 30–50 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 55 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 0 |
| 2023 | Jan 1, 2024 | ReliaQuest Bowl | Wisconsin | W 35–31 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 51 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 0 |
| 2024 | Dec 31, 2024 | Texas Bowl | Baylor | W 44–31 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 42 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Postseason subset | 4 appearances | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 34 | 180 | 1 | 8 | 55 | 0 |
These three bowl appearances and the SEC Championship Game are already included in the annual totals. The January 2022 Texas Bowl belongs to the 2021 season; the January 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl belongs to 2023. Williams also recorded one solo tackle in the ReliaQuest defensive report, PDF p. 4; he had no returns in these four games.
Original full gamebooks: 2021 Texas Bowl statistics, PDF p. 3 / participation, PDF p. 7 · 2022 SEC Championship Game statistics, PDF p. 2 / participation, PDF p. 5 · 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl statistics, PDF p. 2 / participation, PDF p. 5 · 2024 Texas Bowl statistics, PDF p. 2 / participation, PDF p. 5.
His nonplaying 2019 year contributes no actual postseason appearances. The complete LSU season archive shows no postseason game in 2020. He did not appear in the January 2, 2023 Citrus Bowl: the 2022 DNP chart, PDF p. 25 and the Citrus Bowl participation list, PDF p. 6 document that exclusion.
Sources & statistical notes
The records behind the spotlight
- Identity and background: Buccaneers profile, LSU player biography and Buccaneers guide, PDF p. 229.
- LSU journey and recognition: 2022 personal feature, Burlsworth semifinalist selection, 2022 graduation and team honor, Campbell and academic honors and 2024 leadership and degrees feature.
- Community participation: LSU service record and 2026 Buccaneers student-mentoring gallery.
- NFL entry and role: 2025 transactions, 2026 transactions, practice-squad background and Cincinnati return contribution.
- NFL records: The Buccaneers’ original 2026 media guide and eight original 2026 gamebooks. The completed 2025 season and current 2026 season have separate rows; elevations are distinguished from actual appearances.
- College records: Five original LSU annual statistical reports and four original postseason gamebooks. A visible note identifies the one-yard difference in LSU’s later official career summary.
- Portrait: the current official Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster image.
Updated November 3, 2026. NFL regular-season records stop after November 1, Week 8; preseason is excluded. College postseason statistics are already included in annual totals. Rates are rounded to one decimal from the displayed counts. Unknown figures are not converted to zeros.