WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – When running back Kyren Williams was surprised with the news that he had been named the Rams' 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year winner, and by extension a nominee for the league-wide award announced at NFL Honors in February, it was fitting that said news was delivered by CEO of Project Blue and General Manager of the North East Lincoln and Watts Rams youth football programs, Marc Maye, along with local high school students at Salesian High School.

The award is the league's most prestigious honor, recognizing players who excel on the field and demonstrate a commitment to making a positive impact beyond the game.

"It means everything," Williams said Thursday. "I just want to start off with saying thank you to everybody who played a part into allowing me to even be in this position."

Those people, according to Williams, include Rams executive vice president of community engagement and impact Molly Higgins and the "huge role" she played in shaping ways for him to impact the community, as well as the community itself.

"I remember coming to Molly at the beginning of the season, I told Molly, 'Every Tuesday, I want to be somewhere, I want to be in the community. I want to continue to keep inspiring impact and creating change amongst people of the young age,'" Williams said. "So Molly, she does what she does, and she went out there, she figured out all the things that I could be useful at, things that I could go do exactly what I said I wanted to do. And she made it possible. Shout out to Molly and all the Rams. But to me, it's a blessing. To me, this is why I play the game."

Williams got involved in the community, in particular education and youth mentorship initiatives, long before he arrived at the NFL.

According to a 2018 article written by The Athletic's Pete Sampson, students at St. John Vianney High School in St. Louis, Missouri must log 20 of community service as freshman and sophomores. Students are then required to choose a more intense project at the beginning of the summer after their junior year; Williams selected a three-week assignment at the Affton Early Childhood Center working with special needs students and others from lower-income backgrounds.

Williams continued to be involved in the community when he arrived on the University of Notre Dame's campus as well, going beyond the team-planned engagements.

"I know it for a fact, it's leaning on my faith," Williams said. "Acts of service, acts of faith, and just continuing to, like I said, have that love for not only yourself, but for others in this world. And so in high school, I went to a Catholic high school, my first time ever being really, ever in a Catholic faith, Catholic environment, Catholic school, whatever, and so what they taught me there was acts of service, community service. And from freshman year to senior year, we had to do a service project every single year. And I remember getting to Notre Dame, and we didn't really have those type of things. Throughout the football (program) we did, but to me, it wasn't enough, I always wanted to just do a little bit more. So that's why when people stop me now and ask for pictures or autographs, I always say yes, because I know how it is as a kid to be able to want that, but just being able to where I come from and just like, to me, that's acts of service, like, that is just something me taking a little bit out of my time to do something with somebody else. And so this is what it's all about my life. That's what I want to focus it on, and being able to just continue to give to others so that you can fully receive everything."

In the NFL, Williams' community involvement has included school visits and working closely with non-profits, engaging in literacy sessions at local schools, military recognition events, holiday distributions, helping the team launch their STEAM education program in under-resourced schools, and more.

Additionally, when Williams learned that non-profit Big Brothers Big Sisters was in need of male, men of color mentors, he committed to becoming a 'Big Brother' to model the way and hopefully inspire others to join him in their mission to ignite the power and promise of youth through one-on-one mentoring relationships. He also came back as a host of the annual Rams Night for Wishes for a second-straight year, which raises critical funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. During the team's visit to the Hawaiian island of Maui for minicamp this past summer, Williams participated in a youth football clinic for local boys tackle and girls flag football athletes.

Last month, Williams hosted a turkey drive at the Lincoln Rams' end-of-season banquet, and also hosted the Rams' Wheelchair Football Team at the team's practice facility for a different event.

In the press release announcing him as the team's winner of the award, Williams noted the impact Rams legend Steven Jackson had on him at a community event in St. Louis, Missouri when he was a kid, and how much it means to him to make an impact on Los Angeles-area youth.

Serving the community isn't done for the awards, but because of that long-lasting impact of that moment and the power Williams knows that has.

"This award is special because my commitment to the community is never about recognition but about being the inspiration to show young people they can dream big and achieve their goals," Williams said in the release. "The opportunities I've been given through being a professional football player allow me to perform on the field but have also given me the platform to pursue what I am most passionate about, giving back to the community. It's an honor to be the Rams' club winner for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award alongside players around the league dedicated to their communities.""