Damian Williams

Williams while at USC in 2008
No. 17, 15, 10
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	( 1988-05-26 ) May 26, 1988 (age 36) Dallas, Texas , U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	193 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:	Springdale (AR)
College:	Arkansas USC
NFL draft:	2010  / Round: 3 / Pick: 77
Career history
Tennessee Titans ( 2010 ? 2013 ) Miami Dolphins ( 2014 ) St. Louis Rams ( 2014 )
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Pac-10 ( 2009 )
Career NFL statistics
Receptions : 107 Receiving yards : 1,327 Receiving touchdowns : 5
Player stats at PFR

Damian Williams (born May 26, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) from 2010 through 2014. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and USC Trojans . Selected in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft , he played in the league for the Tennessee Titans , Miami Dolphins , and St. Louis Rams .

Early life [ edit ]

Williams attended Springdale High School under head coach Gus Malzahn . During his senior year, he played wide receiver, running back and defensive back and earned accolades as an All-American , catching 63 passes for 1,495 yards with 24 touchdowns , running for 463 yards on 31 carries with 12 touchdowns and had eight kickoff returns for 254 yards with two touchdowns on offense, while also making 25 tackles and 3 interceptions (one for a touchdown) on defense despite missing several games with injuries. Springdale went 14-0 in 2005, won the Arkansas state championship and finished No. 2 nationally.

Williams initially planned on attending the University of Florida , but, in February 2006, switched to Arkansas, joining three other star teammates who had already committed. ^[1]

College career [ edit ]

Arkansas [ edit ]

Growing up in Springdale, Arkansas , Williams began his college career at nearby University of Arkansas , joining Springdale High School teammates and star recruits, quarterback Mitch Mustain , and tight end Ben Cleveland. Head coach Houston Nutt 's Razorbacks football team had hired the trio's high school coach, Gus Malzahn , as his offensive coordinator a few months before signing day . ^[1] As a first-year freshman, Williams started 5 games for the Razorbacks and appeared in all 13 games, catching 19 passes for 235 yards and 2 touchdowns while ranking second in receptions on the team. He was honored as a 2006 Sporting News Freshman Third-team All-American and Freshman All- SEC .

By the latter half of the 2006 season , the Razorbacks' offense had become run-oriented, behind star running back Darren McFadden . In mid-December, Williams' parents, along with those of two other freshmen, met with Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles to raise concerns that their sons might not be a good fit for the Razorbacks' system when they had been used to a pass oriented, spread offense under Malzahn's tenure at Springdale. Soon after the meeting, Williams asked for a release to transfer to another school and it was granted; by early January 2007, he decided to transfer to USC, entering in the spring semester. ^{[1] [2]} Malzahn soon left to join the coaching staff at Tulsa and Mustain later joined his teammate at USC. ^[3]

Southern California [ edit ]

Due to NCAA transfer rules, Williams was required to sit out a season; however, Williams was permitted to play on the scout team and take a redshirt year. He tore a ligament in his shoulder during 2007 spring practice and sat out most of spring drills, then had post-spring surgery on both shoulders, limiting his practice time during the 2007 season .

During the 2008 spring practice, Williams impressed and quickly climbed to be a starting receiver for the Trojans going into the 2008 season . ^[3] He developed into one of quarterback Mark Sanchez ' primary receivers, catching 48 passes for 707 yards and eight touchdowns during the regular season. ^[4] In the 2009 Rose Bowl , Williams made 10 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown. ^[5] Williams was First-team All-Pac 10 in 2009 as a Wide Receiver and Punt Returner.

Professional career [ edit ]

Pre-draft [ edit ]

On December 23, 2009, several sources reported that Williams, who had already graduated from USC, would enter the 2010 NFL draft , forgoing his final year of college football eligibility. ^[6]

Tennessee Titans [ edit ]

In the 2010 NFL Draft, Williams was selected with the 77th pick by the Tennessee Titans . ^[7] On July 30, 2010, Williams signed a 4-year, $2.61 million deal. ^[8]

Williams made his first career start against the Cleveland Browns on October 2, 2011, after the injury to Kenny Britt , who went down on September 25, 2011, tearing his ACL and MCL. Damian made his first career NFL touchdown catch against the Cleveland Browns on October 2, 2011 from a pass thrown by Matt Hasselbeck . ^[9]

Miami Dolphins [ edit ]

On April 10, 2014, Williams signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins . Williams was released just before the start of the 2014 season, but re-signed with the Dolphins on October 6. He was waived on October 26, in order to make room on the roster for the returning Dion Jordan . ^[10]

St. Louis Rams [ edit ]

On October 29, 2014, the St. Louis Rams signed Williams. On August 31, 2015, the Rams released Williams. ^[11]

References [ edit ]

External links [ edit ]

• USC Trojans bio Archived November 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine