PROVO, Utah – It was April 14th, 2019. The sports world was abuzz with Tiger Woods on the verge of winning his first major tournament in 11 years at the Masters. Woods had three holes remaining before earning another coveted green jacket.

Two hours and nine minutes to the east of Augusta in Sumter, South Carolina, former University of South Carolina running back Ty’Son Williams gave BYU their own “major” victory on that Masters Sunday by committing to play his final collegiate season with the Cougars.

Williams, whose only connection to BYU was a high school classmate that was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shocked many choosing to attend the faith-based institution 2,128 miles from home in the southeast.

But one year and a couple of weeks later, Williams signed a free-agent contract with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. Fulfilling a dream that he had set out for himself by picking BYU over the likes of Florida State last spring.

The Ravens were the only NFL team to offer Williams a free agent contract. For the always calm Ty’Son, it was a sigh of relief but for his family, “they were a lot more emotional,” said Williams. “Everything you go through, you know your family, loved ones, and friends, they go through it with you.”

Williams emerged as a leader and BYU’s starting running back during fall camp. Then after helping lead BYU to victories over Tennessee and USC, Williams suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the fourth week of the season against Washington, putting his NFL career in jeopardy as well.

Despite the injury-shortened season with the Cougars. Williams looks back on his time at BYU in high regard and believes it helped him prepare for the NFL, but also beyond football.

#BYU RB Ty'Son Williams headed to the Baltimore Ravens as an UDFA. https://t.co/Fv6C3SlhEm

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) April 25, 2020

“It’s (BYU) definitely a different way of life than I was accustomed to. So I think that provided so much growth,” Williams said to KSL Sports. “Meeting new people and meeting people from all different walks of life. Its done wonders for me. Not just as a football player because [when I arrived at BYU] I was thinking of football, football, football. But when I got out there … BYU is so much more than that.

“We went to New York, serving the kids up there in Harlem, you know just doing things like that and giving back to the community. I would always come back [to my hometown]  and talk to my high school but at BYU it is a much larger scale. So that’s what I took away from everything.”

Now with the impressive four-game performance and valuable life lessons he gained at BYU behind him, Williams continues to train in his hometown both at his home and a local park near his high school. Preparing himself for when Ravens camp opens up so he can put himself in a position to have another fan base celebrating as BYU fans did just one year ago.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.