One of the most promising characters from Friday Night Lights, Brian "Smash" Williams, went through some major ups and downs during his time with the Panthers but even more was in store for him once he left Dillon. The show follows the high school football team from fictional small Texas town Dillon and explores how each athlete handles their athletic stardom while struggling with their own personal life. Based on a true story, Friday Night Lights' critical acclaim came from its authentic depiction of each high schoolers' story.

Brian "Smash" Williams, portrayed by Gaius Charles and based on Boobie Miles from the book by the same name, started the show's first season by taking over the team captain position after their star quarterback, Jason Street, suffered a career-ending injury in the first episode. Immediately, Smash was seen as a jock with a loud mouth and a big personality. Loving the limelight of high school football, he had a real career ahead of him, but the road to success for Smash was a difficult one.

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Smash struggled frequently throughout the show with the pressure of being scouted for college football as he was one of the best football players on the cast of Friday Night Lights with the added frustration of the mostly white Texan town's prejudice. During the first season, Smash takes steroids to bulk himself up for college scouts. After his mother finds out and confronts Coach Taylor, he’s briefly suspended from the team but brought back later after promising to quit using the drugs. 

Smash and Noelle sit at a picnic table in Friday Night Lights

The biggest difficulty Smash faced in his attempts to be noticed by college recruiters, however, comes in season 2 when his retaliation against a group of teenagers harassing his sister and his girlfriend caused fictional university TMU to revoke their scholarship offer. Brian, with few options left, committed to Whitmore, an HBCU willing to give him the scholarship to come to play for their team. While it may seem this was the success Smash was looking for, his journey doesn't end there either. In season 3, Smash, after suffering a knee injury at the end of Friday Night Lights' season 2, was working at the Alamo Freeze and not going to school or playing football at all. Thanks to Coach Taylor, however, by the end of the season, Smash was fully rehabilitated and able to walk on to the Texas A&M Football Team. 

After season 3, Smash is only mentioned briefly on the show. Having moved on from Dillon, Texas, and the Panthers, Smash was seen on TV playing for Texas A&M in Season 4 by Coach Taylor. Smash's final mention was also on television; former teammate Tim Riggins watched Smash play against the Wyoming Cowboys while at Buddy’s bar. Tim and Buddy seemed astounded that Smash made it to college. In both cases, the mention of Smash's success acted as a way for other characters to be proud of their teammates and their past. For Riggins, it served as encouragement for him to find his own success.

Friday Night Lights, canceled after season 5, doesn't mention what happens after its ending for Smash Williams, although it's safe to assume with his talent that he made it far and was likely picked up by an NFL team. The true story After Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger follows Boobie Mills after his own knee injury that ended his career and his chances of making it to the NFL. Mills' real-life struggles continued long after the success of Smash, his fictional portrayal. Given this, it seems only fair that Smash was able to achieve what Mills wasn't able to.

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