Samuel Degarrick Williams (born March 31, 1999) is an American professional

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 end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

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of 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). 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 Northeast Mississippi Community College before transferring to

Ole Miss OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...

Early life

Williams had a difficult childhood; he and his siblings were taken from their mother and raised by his grandparents and later by an aunt after the age of 7. He attended Marbury High School, a small school in Deatsville, Alabama. His sport of choice at Marbury was

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, before being expelled the summer after his junior season for playing with a knife. He transferred to Robert E. Lee High School in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

. He played his only full year of high school football as a starter at

defensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

and was teammates with future pro football player Henry Ruggs III.

College career

Williams enrolled at Northeast Mississippi Community College. As a freshman in 2017, he appeared 9 games and collecting 53 tackles (11 for loss), 3.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. As a sophomore in 2018, he appeared in 9 games, registering 75 tackles (28.5 for loss), 17.5 sacks (tied for the most in the nation's junior colleges), 4 forced fumbles and 4 pass breakups. He received first-team NJCAA All-American and MACJC Defensive Lineman of the Year honors. Williams transferred to the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

(Ole Miss). As a junior in 2019, he started 8 of 12 games, totaling 37 tackles, 6 sacks (led the team), 9.5 tackles for loss, 5 quarterback pressures, one interception, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. As a senior in 2020, he was suspended in late July and August after being arrested for felony sexual battery, although the chargers were dropped. He started six of 10 games, splitting time between

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 ...

and defensive end. He recorded 39 tackles, 4 sacks, 8 tackles for loss (led the team), 3 quarterback pressures and one forced fumble. As a super senior in 2021, he broke the school's single-season sack record with 12.5, while compiling 13 starts, 57 tackles, 16 for loss (led the team), 8 quarterback pressures, 4 forced fumbles (ranked 10th in the nation), one fumble returned for a 33 yard touchdown and one pass breakup.

Professional career

Williams was selected by the

with the 56th overall pick in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft. Against the

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, he had 3 tackles, 2 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in only 12 snaps. He was declared inactive with a knee injury in Week 8 against the

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. He missed Week 16 against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

after he was involved in a car accident in

Plano, Texas Plano ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "flat surface" /'plano/) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, where it is the largest city in Collin County, Texas, Collin County. A small portion of Plano is located in Denton County, Texas, Denton Count ...

. He appeared in 15 games, making 19 tackles, 7 tackles for loss (led the team), 4 sacks, 20 quarterback pressures, one forced fumble and tied a team-high with 3 fumble recoveries. In 2023, he appeared in 17 games as a backup

, collecting 20 tackles (2 for loss), 4.5 sacks (third on the team), 17 quarterback pressures, 4

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

tackles and one blocked punt. Against the

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, he had his first career blocked punt in the second quarter that resulted in 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 ...

. He had a sack in three consecutive games against the

(11/5),

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

(11/12) and

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

(11/19). In 2024, he was expected to have a bigger role on the defense, after the departures in free agency of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler. On July 28, 2024, Williams suffered a torn ACL in

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

, as well as a partial tear of his MCL. On August 7, 2024, he was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

NFL career statistics

;Regular season

References

External links

Dallas Cowboys bioOle Miss Rebels bioNortheast Mississippi Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Sam Living people Players of American football from Montgomery, Alabama American football defensive ends American football linebackers Ole Miss Rebels football players Northeast Mississippi Tigers football players 1999 births Dallas Cowboys players