Texas Longhorns legends Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams praise Heisman candidate D’Onta Foreman

A wise man once said, “D’Onta Foreman is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest running backs in Texas Longhorns history.”

Well, maybe a wise man didn’t say exactly that, but as Foreman inches towards the conclusion of his junior season — one that’s placed him in contention for the Heisman, Doak Walker Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award — there’s been no shortage of notable praise directed towards the heart and sole of the 2016 Longhorns.

It’s not often that legendary Longhorns running backs and former Heisman winners in Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams sing the praise of a player to the point of comparison, but that’s exactly what Foreman’s history season has revealed.

“When we was playing Notre Dame, I really kept my eye on him,” Campbell said of Foreman. “When I saw him, I though I saw a little bit of me in there for a minute.”

Now up to 1,613 yards courtesy of an FBS-leading 179.2 yards per game, Foreman is just seven yards away from the fifth-most rushing yards in a single season at Texas.

“Watching D’Onta this year I feel like I’m re-living my senior season,” Williams said of Foreman.

As a senior, Williams rushed for 2,124 yards en route to his Heisman honors. At Foreman’s current rate of 179.2 yards per game, finishing the season and continuing at that pace during a bowl game would see the Longhorns star surpass Williams’ 1998 season rushing performance with 2,150 of his own.

Williams’ season-long rushing record isn’t the only one in danger of becoming Foreman’s though. Dating back to last season, Foreman has rushed for at least 100 yards in 11 consecutive games, which tied Campbell’s record against West Virginia. That streak can belong solely to Foreman with 100 more yards against Kansas on Saturday.

“The public is up there saying ‘I wish, I hope’ but I don’t think you go into a game expecting a streak or anything like that,” Campbell said of Foreman’s 11-game 100-yard streak, which is a streak many expect Foreman to break on Saturday against Kansas. “It’s just something that goes along with the team.”

“Once they consider that D’Onta’s playing at The University of Texas and the things that he’s been able to do; I think if you look at the two other great running backs from the university, Earl and myself, D’Onta is following right in line and he’s most likely going to break both of our records.”