Darius Williams (born August 11, 1998) is an American

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for the Vegas Knight Hawks of the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional indoor American football league in the United States. The league comprises 14 teams, divided equally between the Eastern Conference (EC) and Western Conference ...

(IFL). He played

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 ...

at Carson-Newman University.

Early life

Williams was born and raised in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

. He attended school at Osceola Fundamental High School for his freshman and the first semester of his sophomore year. He then transferred to Northside Christian School. He played 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 ...

while at Northside Christian School. He was named a

Blue-Gray Livid is a medium bluish- gray color. This color name comes from the Latin color term ''lividus'', meaning "'a dull leaden-blue color'; it is also used to describe the color of contused flesh, leading to the English expression 'black and blu ...

all-American and Pinellas County All-Star for having the most tackles for a defensive back over a two-year period in high school.

College career

Williams attended

Carson–Newman University Carson-Newman University is a private university in Jefferson City, Tennessee, United States. Carson-Newman is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. Founded in 1851, the university enrolls about 2,500 students. Studies are offe ...

where he played for the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

. He participated in the

East-West Shrine Bowl East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

in 2020, after four seasons at the collegiate level. He recorded 179 tackles, a sack, eight interceptions, and two fumble recoveries in 41 games. He graduated from Carson-Newman University with a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science and Recreational Management.

Professional career

Edmonton Elks

Williams signed with the

Edmonton Elks The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division (CFL), West Division and plays their home games at Commonw ...

on January 11, 2021. He played in all 14 regular season games where he had 30 defensive tackles, six special teams tackles, and one forced fumble. However, he was released on February 14, 2022.

Montreal Alouettes

On February 17, 2022, Williams signed a one-year contract with the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

. He played in his first game as an Alouette on June 16, 2022, where he also recorded his first career interception in the game against the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

. He played in ten regular season games where he recorded nine defensive tackles, five special teams tackles, and two interceptions before being released on September 20, 2022.

Ottawa Redblacks

On October 6, 2022, it was announced that Williams had signed a practice roster agreement with the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (Canadian French, French: ) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL ...

. On May 18, 2023, Williams was released by the Redblacks.

Massachusetts Pirates

On December 19, 2023, Williams signed with the Massachusetts Pirates of the

(IFL).

Vegas Knight Hawks

Williams was traded to the Vegas Knight Hawks on May 25, 2024.

References

External links

Ottawa Redblacks profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Darius 1998 births Living people American football defensive backs Canadian football defensive backs Carson–Newman Eagles football players Edmonton Elks players Montreal Alouettes players Ottawa Redblacks players Players of American football from St. Petersburg, Florida Players of Canadian football from St. Petersburg, Florida Massachusetts Pirates players Vegas Knight Hawks players