Deontai Williams Sr.
![]() Williams with the BC Lions in 2025 | |
| No. 9 – BC Lions | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive back |
| Roster status | Active |
| CFL status | American |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 4, 1996 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, FL) |
| College | Jones County Junior College Nebraska |
| NFL draft | 2022: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| 2022 | Seattle Seahawks* |
| 2023–2024 | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| 2025–present | BC Lions |
* Offseason or practice squad member only | |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Deontai Williams Sr. (born October 4, 1996) is an American professional football defensive back for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Jones County Junior College and Nebraska. He has also been a member of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) and the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL.
Early life
Williams Sr. played high school football at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Florida.[1] His father, Roosevelt Williams, was also a football player.[1][2]
College career
Williams Sr. played college football at Jones County Junior College. He played one game in 2016, recording four tackles and one fumble recovery before suffering a season-ending injury and being redshirted. He appeared in 10 games in 2017, totaling 26 tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.[1]
Williams Sr. transferred to play at Nebraska from 2018 to 2021.[3][1] He missed most of the 2019 season due to injury. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference honors in 2020 after accumulating 51 tackles, 1.0 sack, four pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Williams Sr. recorded 46 tackles, four interceptions and three pass breakups in 2021, garnering honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition.[1]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+1⁄8 in (1.81 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | 31+5⁄8 in (0.80 m) | 9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) | 6 ft 2+7⁄8 in (1.90 m) | 4.59 s | 1.66 s | 2.59 s | 4.01 s | 6.78 s | 33.0 in (0.84 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | 14 reps |
| All values from Pro Day[4] | ||||||||||||
Seattle Seahawks
Williams Sr. signed with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) on May 6, 2022. He was released by the Seahawks on August 30.[5]
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Williams Sr. was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) on January 9, 2023.[5][6][7] He was moved to the practice roster on June 4, promoted to the active roster on June 15, placed on injured reserve on September 14, and activated from injured reserve on October 6.[5] He played in 14 games, all starts, for the Roughriders in 2023, recording 41 tackles on defense, six special teams tackles and one interception.[8][9] He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 11, 2025.[10][11]
BC Lions
On February 11, 2025, it was announced that Williams Sr. had signed with the BC Lions.[12]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Deontai Williams". huskers.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ↑ "Riders DB Williams following in father's footsteps". tsn.ca. The Canadian Press. October 12, 2023. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; October 13, 2023 suggested (help) - ↑ Basnett, Chris (July 26, 2021). "Leaning on a winding life's journey, 'Grandpa' Deontai Williams relishes role as leader for Husker football". journalstar.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ↑ "Deontai Williams College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Deontai Williams". Footballdb.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ↑ Gray, Britton (July 6, 2023). "'They are still there for me:' Family, friends drive Deontai Williams' football journey". ckom.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ↑ Zary, Darren (May 30, 2023). "Former Cornhusker Deontai Williams looks for a home in CFL Roughriders' secondary". thestarphoenix.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ↑ "Deontai Williams". cfl.ca. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ↑ "Deontai Williams". statscrew.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ↑ "Transactions – Football Player Trades and Signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Official 2025 Free Agent Tracker". Canadian Football League. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Lions Sign Free Agent Defensive Back Deontai Williams". BC Lions. February 11, 2025.
External links
- Living people
- 1996 births
- Seattle Seahawks players
- Saskatchewan Roughriders players
- Nebraska Cornhuskers football players
- American football defensive backs
- Canadian football defensive backs
- Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida
- Players of Canadian football from Jacksonville, Florida
- Jones County Bobcats football players
- BC Lions players
