“Allow me to introduce myself to everyone.”

Josh Williams, one of the most beloved LSU Football players, stepped up to the podium to deliver a speech at a student-athlete graduation ceremony last winter. Everyone may know his name now, but Williams mostly remembers when no one did.

“My name is ‘walk-on.’ My name is ‘too small.’ My name is constantly doubted and forced to face improbable odds,” Williams continued.

A Houston, Texas, native, Williams turned down multiple offers from smaller Division I schools to play for the team he always loved growing up:  the LSU Tigers. He bet on himself by securing a walk-on spot at one of college football’s biggest powerhouses. On top of that, he joined a 2019 squad that would eventually become the best team in college football history.

Instead of getting lost in the talent, Williams did what he had always done – put his head down and worked. He played a valuable role on the scout team, and a year later, he was awarded a scholarship.

“As the first born of an overachieving family, it has been instilled in me since birth that nothing is given, but everything is earned through hard work and integrity,” Williams said.

Williams is the epitome of an excellent student-athlete – a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member, an LSU graduate with a 3.4 GPA and the team’s leading rusher last season. Williams capped off his 2022 breakout season by winning the team’s Offensive Player of the Year award.

When he chose to return for a fifth year while pursuing an MBA, Williams also positioned himself as a semifinalist for the 2023 William V. Campbell Trophy, an award given to college football’s premier student-athlete for his combined success in academics, athletics and leadership.

“Knowing that people do look up to me and understanding that I am a leader on this team, I do know that I can’t take plays off and I have to go above and beyond to uphold (Head) Coach (Brian) Kelly’s process, because it starts with the leaders first,” Williams said.

If you asked his teammates and coaches, what stands out most about Williams is his leadership, undoubtedly built by his character.

“Josh is probably the least heralded player in the backfield,” Kelly said last season. “He ended up being a captain for us in three different games … all those traits are what we’ve been looking for. He’s a guy that’s respected by so many.”

If you ask Williams, he wants his character to be what sets him apart and shows people who he is: a champion.

“A true champion is defined as a person who has defeated or surpassed all rivals in competition, especially in sports,” Williams said. “Ultimately, I am striving to encourage and inspire my teammates and peers with my actions as an example of hard work, dedication and believing in the mission of our team.”

In his position group, Williams is joined by somebody that shares the same mission.

They are similar people in some ways, but not in others.

Both are running backs, and both have graduated with a bachelor’s degree.

One was overlooked, underrated and living outside of Louisiana.

The other was a four-star prospect at a big-name high school, with roots right on the grounds where Death Valley rests. But, leaving “The Boot” caused him to leave the minds of many.

Little did either of them know that they would spend their last two collegiate seasons together, pushing each other to be great at the same position, both growing in their ability to be leaders of men.

Noah Cain and his family hail from Baton Rouge, but Hurricane Katrina brought him to Dallas, Texas, where he spent his first two years of high school. He transferred to IMG Academy in Florida for his last two years, playing for teams that went 9-0 and 7-1, respectively, registering ranks as high as No. 2 and No. 3 in the country.

Penn State recruited him the hardest of any school, and the opportunity to go in and play right away drew Cain to State College, Pa., in 2019. Cain became the first Penn State freshman to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back games since current New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, and he was nominated for the 2021 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year after sustaining an injury in 2020.

Despite the success, the injury process left Cain feeling stuck and in need of a change. While Williams always knew LSU was home, it just took Cain a little bit longer.

“Coming back home, there’s good and bad to it,” Cain said. “You really find out who’s here for you; who really wants to see you succeed, and who’s in it for the spotlight. But, it’s really a blessing to be here.”

That is who Cain is – humble and grateful for every opportunity. Coach Kelly would concur, describing Cain as someone in whom the staff has always had faith, and someone who steps up for his brothers.

Regardless of how much success either of these two men achieve, the humility and gratitude they both possess will never be lost. When both Cain and Williams seized an opportunity to travel to Africa for a study abroad trip this past spring, the life-changing experience cemented these traits as permanent parts of their already outstanding character.

“You really don’t know how blessed you are until you see how other people are living,” Cain said. “They’re so much happier with less, and it gave me perspective on how blessed I am to have the resources I have to help me succeed.”

When you play for a program as highly touted as LSU Football, the resources are plentiful. However, the pressure to succeed can be overwhelming.

Every athlete to compete at LSU knows this:  the pride and tradition of the Tigers will not be entrusted to the weak or the timid. Conveniently for Cain and Williams, neither of them could be weak nor timid if they tried. Strong and brave are two other permanent parts of their character.

“I flourish from the intense fire of competition, and I enjoy the fruitful taste of victory,” Williams said in his speech.

While others may crumble, Tigers never do. Williams and Cain are the perfect examples. Any external expectations, hype or criticism pale in comparison to the standard to which they hold themselves.

“I understand it comes with the territory,” Cain said. “If I’m not performing well, I’m already going to be hard on myself. I don’t need to hear anybody. I expect it out of myself.”

So, allow us to introduce LSU’s running backs?

We don’t need to.

They have made themselves known.