Chad Kelton Williams (born January 22, 1979) is an American

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

coach and former player. He is the

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

s coach and defensive run game coordinator for the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

, positions he has held since 2024. He played professionally as a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

for five seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL).

Playing career

He attended college at the

. He played for the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

from 2002 to 2005 and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

in 2006. In his five years in the NFL, Williams played in 79 career games, six of which he started. He had 164 tackles and 9 interceptions. In addition, he scored three touchdowns, recorded 7 sacks, and deflected 25 pass attempts. Williams was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the

2002 NFL draft The 2002 NFL draft was the 67th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted ...

. On May 3, 2006, he signed with the

as an unrestricted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

. The

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

signed Williams in June 2007, but he did not play for the team.

Coaching career

Williams formerly served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the

University of Central Arkansas The University of Central Arkansas (Central Arkansas or UCA) is a public university in Conway, Arkansas, United States. Founded in 1907, the university is one of the oldest in the state. As the state's only normal school at the time, UCA has hist ...

. In December 2020 it was announced that Williams would join new head coach Will Hall's inaugural staff at Williams' alma mater,

Southern Miss The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

. He was the cornerbacks coach under Hall until 2022. In 2023, he took on the role of inside

s and coach before the 2024 season he was promoted to linebackers coach.

References

External links

Southern Miss profile
1979 births Living people American football safeties Baltimore Ravens players Central Arkansas Bears football coaches Jacksonville State Gamecocks football coaches Kansas City Chiefs players Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football coaches Morehouse Maroon Tigers football coaches San Francisco 49ers players Savannah State Tigers football coaches Southern Miss Golden Eagles football coaches Southern Miss Golden Eagles football players Valdosta State Blazers football coaches West Alabama Tigers football coaches West Georgia Wolves football coaches Sportspeople from Birmingham, Alabama Coaches of American football from Alabama Players of American football from Birmingham, Alabama African-American coaches of American football 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen {{defensiveback-1970s-stub