Ian Williams (American football)
Encyclopedia
Ian Williams is an American football
defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers
of the National Football League
. He was signed by the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football
at Notre Dame
.
, and attended Lyman High School
, where he played football for coach Bill Caughell. In his junior year, Ian was responsible for 83 tackles, 23 tackles for loss (TFL), 12 hurries, 4 forced fumbles, 2 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries and 4 passes broken up, as the Greyhounds won their third straight 5A district title and beat Melbourne High School
for Lyman’s first Florida playoff win in school history. Williams continued his dominance from the defensive tackle position in 2006, recording over 40 tackles, 18 TFL, and 12 sacks. He was recognized as the 120th rated prep player nationally on ESPN
150’s listing and 30th on the South Florida Sun-Sentinel list of top 50 Florida prospects. The Florida Sports Writers Association named him to the Florida Class 5A first team as an offensive lineman. As a defensive lineman, the Orlando Sentinel
named him to the All-Central Florida first team, and the All-Seminole County team.
, Auburn
, Clemson
, Florida
, Mississippi
, and South Carolina
. Before her passing in 1995, Ian’s maternal grandmother, Lily May Green, had told Ian’s mother, Natalie Williams that her grandson would one day play for the University of Notre Dame. Not wanting to influence his decision, Natalie waited until after Ian signed with Notre Dame to tell her son of his grandmother’s prescient forecast.
's 3-4 system, Williams played in all 12 games his freshman year, starting two. He totaled 45 tackles, 19 solo stops, 1.5 TFL on the year and was named a Freshman All-American. His 45 tackles were the third most for any freshman defensive lineman in Notre Dame history. He ranked sixth on the team in tackles and was the only player ranked in the top 12 in tackles on the team who did not start at least four games.
amassing 6 tackles and 2 TFL. He recorded 7 tackles against Navy
, 8 against Syracuse
, and 3 tackles and a pass break up against the USC Trojans
.
under Jon Tenuta. Williams shifted from a 3-4 nose tackle to a 4-3 defensive tackle. Williams played in all 12 games, starting 8. He recorded 39 tackles, 6 TFL, a pass breakup and his first career interception.
, Bob Diaco, switched the defense back to a 3-4 scheme. Williams thrived in a return to his natural position at nose tackle, anchoring the middle of the Irish defensive front and recording 37 tackles, 2 sacks and an interception in 7.5 games. Williams suffered an MCL sprain against Navy on October 23, 2010. The injury did not require surgery, but it did force Williams to miss the last four games of his senior season. Prior to the injury, he was one of only two players to appear in every game of his four year Notre Dame career (Kerry Neal is the other). Williams returned to practice in early December and will be healthy enough to play for Notre Dame in the Hyundai Sun Bowl
against the University of Miami Hurricanes on December 31, 2010.
as an undrafted free agent following the 2011 NFL Draft
on July 25, 2011.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was signed by the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
.
Early years
Williams grew up in Altamonte Springs, FloridaAltamonte Springs, Florida
Altamonte Springs is a city in Seminole county in the U.S. state of Florida, which had a population of 41,496 at the 2010 census. Located primarily in Seminole County, the city is in the northern suburbs of the Orlando–Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the United States...
, and attended Lyman High School
Lyman High School
Lyman High School is a public high school located in Longwood, Florida, a city located approximately 10 miles north of Orlando. The school, founded in 1924, has been consistently ranked among the best in the state by the Florida Department of Education. It was ranked by Newsweek as the 204th best...
, where he played football for coach Bill Caughell. In his junior year, Ian was responsible for 83 tackles, 23 tackles for loss (TFL), 12 hurries, 4 forced fumbles, 2 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries and 4 passes broken up, as the Greyhounds won their third straight 5A district title and beat Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School is a selective entry state school for boys in years 9 to 12 located in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra. Being a selective school, it is known mainly for its strong academic reputation...
for Lyman’s first Florida playoff win in school history. Williams continued his dominance from the defensive tackle position in 2006, recording over 40 tackles, 18 TFL, and 12 sacks. He was recognized as the 120th rated prep player nationally on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
150’s listing and 30th on the South Florida Sun-Sentinel list of top 50 Florida prospects. The Florida Sports Writers Association named him to the Florida Class 5A first team as an offensive lineman. As a defensive lineman, the Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
named him to the All-Central Florida first team, and the All-Seminole County team.
College career
Williams was heavily recruited, receiving scholarship offers from Notre Dame as well as most of the top southern programs in the country, including the AlabamaUniversity of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, Auburn
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
, Clemson
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
, Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
, and South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
. Before her passing in 1995, Ian’s maternal grandmother, Lily May Green, had told Ian’s mother, Natalie Williams that her grandson would one day play for the University of Notre Dame. Not wanting to influence his decision, Natalie waited until after Ian signed with Notre Dame to tell her son of his grandmother’s prescient forecast.
Freshman year
Recruited to play nose tackle in then-defensive coordinator Corwin BrownCorwin Brown
Corwin Brown is an American football coach who was most recently the defensive backs coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
's 3-4 system, Williams played in all 12 games his freshman year, starting two. He totaled 45 tackles, 19 solo stops, 1.5 TFL on the year and was named a Freshman All-American. His 45 tackles were the third most for any freshman defensive lineman in Notre Dame history. He ranked sixth on the team in tackles and was the only player ranked in the top 12 in tackles on the team who did not start at least four games.
Sophomore year
Williams appeared in all 13 games for the Irish, making 7 starts. He had 40 total tackles including 2 TFL, in addition to a pass break up. Williams anchored the defense against PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
amassing 6 tackles and 2 TFL. He recorded 7 tackles against Navy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, 8 against Syracuse
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, and 3 tackles and a pass break up against the USC Trojans
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy...
.
Junior year
The Irish made a switch to the 4-3 defense4-3 defense
In American football, a 4–3 defense is a defensive alignment consisting of four down linemen and three linebackers. It is probably the most commonly used defense in modern American football and especially in the National Football League. NFL teams that use the 4–3 defense as of 2011 include the...
under Jon Tenuta. Williams shifted from a 3-4 nose tackle to a 4-3 defensive tackle. Williams played in all 12 games, starting 8. He recorded 39 tackles, 6 TFL, a pass breakup and his first career interception.
Senior year
New Irish defensive coordinatorDefensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
, Bob Diaco, switched the defense back to a 3-4 scheme. Williams thrived in a return to his natural position at nose tackle, anchoring the middle of the Irish defensive front and recording 37 tackles, 2 sacks and an interception in 7.5 games. Williams suffered an MCL sprain against Navy on October 23, 2010. The injury did not require surgery, but it did force Williams to miss the last four games of his senior season. Prior to the injury, he was one of only two players to appear in every game of his four year Notre Dame career (Kerry Neal is the other). Williams returned to practice in early December and will be healthy enough to play for Notre Dame in the Hyundai Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
against the University of Miami Hurricanes on December 31, 2010.
San Francisco 49ers
Williams was signed by the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
as an undrafted free agent following the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
on July 25, 2011.