Josh Williams was in danger of losing his leg after 2015 injury

Arkansas linebacker Josh Williams drinks water Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015, during practice at the university football practice field in Fayetteville.

— Arkansas linebacker Josh Williams still hasn't watched the play that almost cost him more than his football career.

Williams was hit low by Tennessee tight end Ethan Wolf during the first half of a game last October and suffered a broken leg. Not only was it uncertain whether he would play football again, but also whether he would keep his injured leg.

"It was a long process," Williams said. "There was a possibility that I would lose my leg. I'm really supposed to be in the hospital right now, but I'm on the field making plays.

"I had to put in a lot of work. It took months."

Williams said he is unsure of whether it was a staph infection or something else that caused the complications after the initial surgery. He said he had to have "a couple" of surgeries to repair the problems, concerning him and his teammates.

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Tennessee running back Jalen Hurd (1) runs the ball as teammate and tight end Ethan Wolf (82) blocks Arkansas linebacker Josh Williams (21) during the first half of an NCAA college football game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. (Michael Patrick/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)

"We came up there to the hospital and talked to him," linebacker Dre Greenlaw said. "Then we heard he was going to lose his leg and were like, 'What's going on?'"

The injury was one of many serious ones suffered by Razorbacks in 2015. Among them: receiver Jared Cornelius broke his arm in two places against Texas Tech; running back Rawleigh Williams was taken off the field on a stretcher and required major neck surgery after being pulled down by his face mask against Auburn; and receiver Dominique Reed was carted off the field after suffering a helmet-to-helmet hit in the Liberty Bowl.

"It was scary," Greenlaw said. "It most definitely makes you appreciate your health. Whenever you think about stuff like that, you've just got to thank God for keeping you healthy and not allowing anything to happen to you. But you know it can happen to you at any moment.

"All of those guys are back, so that kind of shows you about our team. We don't take the easy way out when things go bad."

Not only is Williams back this preseason, but he is pushing for plenty of playing time as the team's Sam linebacker and backup middle linebacker. He also has practiced at the Will linebacker position and can put his hand on the ground as a hybrid defensive end.

That's welcomed news for Greenlaw and senior middle linebacker Brooks Ellis, who combined to play 77 and 95 percent of the team's defensive snaps last season, respectively. Greenlaw said having another quality linebacker can impact the way games are called.

"I know coach was talking about adding another package," Greenlaw said. "What we do versus spread teams, we trade off that third linebacker for a corner so we can cover the spread better. But sometimes that third linebacker can put pressure on a quarterback...and versus teams like Alabama and LSU, we can play three."

There is also the possibility that Williams will be cross-trained at fullback. He said he has never played the position.

Kendrick Jackson made a similar transition from linebacker to fullback early last season. The physical part is not hard, he said.

"The toughest part is just learning the playbook," Jackson said. "There are a lot of things the coaches ask you to do, but it's really easy."

Williams said he doesn't care which side he plays on. It's one more side than many thought he would play on again 10 months ago.

"For somebody to come back from that type of injury and still prove to everybody that he can play and belongs here, it just shows Josh is a strong guy," Greenlaw said, "and isn't going to let something like that hold him back."