Donte Antonio Williams (born September 1, 1982) is an American football coach who is the defensive backs coach at the University of Georgia. He previously served as USC's associate head coach under Clay Helton, and he became USC's interim head coach on September 13, 2021, after Helton was fired. After leading the Trojans for the final 10 games of the 2021 season, Williams remained at the school on the staff of new head coach Lincoln Riley.[1] A coach with stints at Oregon, Nebraska, Arizona, and San Jose State, Williams has established himself as one of the nation's top college football recruiters.[2]
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Defensive backs coach |
| Team | Georgia |
| Conference | SEC |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | September 1, 1982 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 2002 | Pasadena City |
| 2003 | Syracuse |
| 2004–2005 | Idaho State |
| 2007 | Rio Grande Valley Dorados |
| 2008 | Arkansas Twisters |
| Position(s) | Defensive back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2007 | Los Angeles Harbor (CB) |
| 2008 | El Camino (CB) |
| 2009 | Mt. San Antonio (CB) |
| 2010 | Nevada (DQC) |
| 2011–2012 | Washington (GA) |
| 2013 | San Jose State (CB) |
| 2014–2015 | San Jose State (DB/RC) |
| 2016 | Arizona (CB) |
| 2017 | Nebraska (CB) |
| 2018–2019 | Oregon (CB) |
| 2020 | USC (PGC/CB) |
| 2021 | USC (AHC/PGC/CB) |
| 2021 | USC (interim HC) |
| 2022–2023 | USC (DB/PGC) |
| 2024–present | Georgia (DB) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 3–7 |
Williams played college football at Pasadena City College, Syracuse, and Idaho State before playing professionally in the AF2.
Coaching career
editEarly career
editWilliams began his coaching career in 2007 at Los Angeles Harbor College as their cornerbacks coach. He then went to serve in the same position at El Camino College in 2008. In 2009, Williams joined Mt. San Antonio College as their cornerbacks coach.
Nevada
editIn 2010, Williams was hired as a defensive quality control coach at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Washington
editIn 2011, Williams joined as a graduate assistant at the University of Washington.
San Jose State
editIn 2013, Williams was hired to be the cornerbacks coach at San Jose State University. In 2014, he was promoted to defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator.
Arizona
editIn 2016, Williams joined the University of Arizona as their cornerbacks coach.
Nebraska
editIn 2017, Williams was hired to be the cornerbacks coach at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Oregon
editIn 2018, Williams joined the University of Oregon as their cornerbacks coach under head coach Mario Cristobal.
USC
editIn 2020, Williams was hired as the defensive passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach at the University of Southern California (USC) under head coach Clay Helton. In 2021, he was promoted to assistant head coach.
On September 13, 2021, Williams was named USC's interim head coach following Helton's dismissal. Williams became the first Black head coach in USC's football history.[3] On September 18, 2021, Williams made his head coaching debut and led the Trojans to a 45–14 victory over Washington State. The Trojans went 3-7 under Williams during the program's worst season in 30 years.
Williams was retained on USC's staff by Riley in January 2022 as the Trojans' defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator.[4]
Georgia
editIn December 2023, Williams left USC to become the defensive backs coach at the University of Georgia.
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USC Trojans (Pac-12 Conference) (2021) | |||||||||
| 2021 | USC | 3–7[a] | 3–5 | T–4th (South) | |||||
| USC: | 3–7 | 3–5 | |||||||
| Total: | 3–7 | ||||||||
Notes
edit- ^ Williams was named interim head coach on September 13 after Clay Helton was fired.
References
edit- ^ "USC Athletic Director Mike Bohn Announces Change In Leadership Of The Football Program". USC Athletics. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- ^ "Five things you need to know about new USC interim coach Donte Williams". Los Angeles Times. September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- ^ "Donte Williams makes history as USC's first Black head football coach".
- ^ "Full-Time Assistant Coaching Staff Named by New USC Football Head Coach Lincoln Riley".