J.D. Williams - Football Coach

J.D. Williams

Title:
Assistant Coach, Cornerbacks / Defensive Pass Game Coordinator
Phone:
559-278-3015

THE WILLIAMS FILE

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Twitter: @Nodogsdown_JDW
Hometown: Coalinga, Calif.
High School: Coalinga
Spouse: Jamie
Children: David, Kyra, Nicole, Zoe

EDUCATION
Fresno State (1997)
Bachelor's in Criminology

COACHING HISTORY
Fresno State
Present: Cornerbacks/Def. Pass Game Coordinator
2022-24: Defensive Backs/Def. Pass Game Coordinator
2020-21: Cornerbacks/Def. Pass Game Coordinator
2019: Defensive Backs/Def. Pass Game Coordinator
2017-18: Defensive Backs
UNLV
2015-16: Defensive Backs
Georgia State
2013-14: Defensive Backs/Special Teams Coordinator
UNLV
2012: Defensive Coordinator/Asst. Head Coach/DBs
2010-11: Defensive Backs/Asst. Head Coach/
Pass Defense Coordinator
Utah
2009: Defensive Backs
Washington
2006-08: Defensive Backs
California
2002-05: Defensive Backs
Fresno State
2000-01: Defensive Backs
San Jose State
1999: Defensive Backs
Cal Poly
1998: Defensive Backs
Fresno State
1997: Graduate Assistant

PLAYING EXPERIENCE
Fresno State
1986-89: Defensive Back
Buffalo Bills
1990-93: Defensive Back
Arizona Cardinals
1994: Defensive Back
Carolina Panthers
1995: Defensive Back
San Francisco 49ers
1996: Defensive Back

Last updated Jan. 2, 2025

J.D. Williams returned to his alma mater in 2017 for his third coaching stint at Fresno State. He once served as an assistant coach (2000-01) and graduate assistant (1997) under Pat Hill. Williams, who enters the ninth season of his most recent stretch, will coach the cornerbacks in 2025.

In 2024, Williams coached a secondary group that led the Mountain West in pass defense efficiency (113.31). The Bulldogs ranked third in the MW with 15 interceptions by eight different players. Senior corner Cam Lockridge led the team with five total interceptions in just nine games. Lockridge had 11 total in his three seasons at Fresno State, and 14 in his collegiate career. Lockridge was a first team All-Mountain West selection, despite missing games on the year.

Williams’ corners had their biggest performance in a rivalry win over San Jose State, picking off four passes as Lockridge had two, and Al’zillion Hamilton and Julian Neal added one each. Hamilton went on to be an All-MW honorable mention selection as he was second in the conference in passes defended with 15 in 13 games.

Fresno State’s pass defense ranked among the top in the MW and in the FBS in 2023. The Bulldogs secondary had talent at both positions with second team All-Mountain West selection Carlton Johnson leading the way with four interceptions and seven broken up passes. Three of Johnson’s interceptions were in the Bulldogs’ record-breaking defensive performance at Arizona State. Johnson had three of the Bulldogs’ five total interceptions in the shutout win on Sept. 16. The team’s five interceptions were part of Fresno State defense’s eight total turnovers, a single game program record.

Johnson earned two national Defensive Player of the Week honors by the Jim Thorpe Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and was crowned the MW Defensive Player of the Week for leading the efforts against the Sun Devils.

Fresno State’s defense led the Mountain West and was No. 4 in the FBS in total interceptions. The ‘Dogs also led the conference in passing efficiency defense, ranking 16th in the FBS.

The 2022 season, the first since the return of head coach Jeff Tedford, was a memorable one as Fresno State became the first program in FBS history to start the season 1-4, and finish with 10 wins. Fresno State ended the year on a nine-game winning streak, and won the 2022 Mountain West Championship and the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl.

Fresno State had one of the top passing defensive groups in the conference, being third in overall pass defense and second in pass defense efficiency. Among all FB programs, Fresno State ranked No. 9 in team pass defense efficiency.

The Bulldogs’ pass defense was successful in large part thanks to the contributions of first-year transfer cornerback Cam Lockridge. A transfer from Hawai’i, Lockridge led the team with five interceptions returned for 100 yards. He had the most interceptions by a Bulldog since 2013. Lockridge had one interception returned for a touchdown this season, the first for the program since 2019. Opposite Lockridge was another first-year Bulldog in Carlton Johnson. Johnson played in only seven games, making his return from injury mid-season, but finished the year with 28 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, one interception and six broken up passes.

The former cornerback, who is one of five first round NFL draft picks in Fresno State program history, oversaw both the cornerbacks and safeties his first three seasons upon his return with former head coach Jeff Tedford, but shifted focus entirely to the cornerbacks when head coach Kalen DeBoer took over prior to the 2020 season.

With the return of Tedford as Fresno State head coach for the 2022 season, Williams was shifted back to coaching both the cornerbacks and safeties, along with defensive pass game coordinator duties.

In 2021, the Bulldog cornerbacks had depth in the position group. Senior DaRon Bland led the group with 45 tackles, two interceptions, five broken up passes, one quarterback hurry and one forced fumble. Notably, Williams coached up true freshman cornerback Cale Sanders Jr. as one of the top-graded CBs in the conference. Sanders played in all 13 games this season, and earned the start in the final four games of the year.

Bland was drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, in the fifth round as the 167th overall pick to the Dallas Cowboys. Bland was the first cornerback to earn a draft selection since 2007. He was just the 11th Bulldog cornerback to be drafted in program history. In his first two seasons in the NFL, Bland has quickly made a name for himself as one of the top talents at cornerback. In 2023, he set a new NFL record for most Pick-6’s in a season with five. Bland totaled nine interceptions in 2023 to bring his professional career total to 14 – the most by any player in the NFL in that span. Bland was a 2023 Defensive Player of the Year finalist. He also earned a Pro Bowl nod with a starting spot and an All-Pro selection by both the AP and NFLPA.

The starting cornerback duo of junior Wylan Free and redshirt freshman Bralyn Lux was an unlikely but steady presence for the Bulldogs' defense in 2020. Lux, a walk-on, was a Burlsworth Trophy nominee that started all six games. He led the team with 30 tackles and secured his first career interception on Dec. 5 facing Nevada's Carson Strong. Strong entered that game with just two interceptions in 2020. Free, who had history at cornerback, but was transitioning back to it from safety, was the other constant that also started all six games. He had 18 tackles, one interception, and a team-high four broken up passes. Those two combined to have the same amount of plays made on the ball as first downs allowed (10).

The 2019 DB group produced seven of the Bulldogs’ 11 interceptions and totaled 27 pass break ups. The group was a young one that suffered several injuries that resulted in three true freshmen earning starts while Chris Coleman converted to cornerback from wide receiver to aid the group’s depth. Senior Juju Hughes remained the backbone of the group, accounting for 80 tackles, two interceptions and eight pass breakups. Hughes was named a 2019 Mountain West honorable mention selection.

Williams’ secondary ranked as one the best in the nation in 2018. His group totaled 13 of the Bulldogs’ 19 interceptions, which was fifth best for a FBS team, and as a defensive unit Fresno State was tied for the third-most passes defended in the nation with 79, the most by a Bulldog defense since 1999. The team also held opposing quarterbacks to the fifth-lowest pass efficiency in the FBS at 104.09.

Under his guidance, Tank Kelly was named to the All-Mountain West first team. The senior finished third in the nation with 22 passes defended and was tied for a MW-best four interceptions. He was tied with teammate Juju Hughes who, along with fellow Bulldog safety Mike Bell, was selected to the All-MW second team.

During his first year back in Fresno, the Bulldogs ranked as one of the top defensive units in 2017, finishing 10th in the FBS in scoring defense at 17.9 points per game and 15th in total defense with 320.6 yards allowed per game. Williams guided one of the Bulldogs’ youngest groups on the field with his secondary accounting for 11 of the team’s 19 forced turnovers.

Williams finished his second season of his second stop at UNLV in 2016. He returned to Las Vegas after serving as the defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator at Georgia State for two seasons (2013-14).

In 2013, the GSU special teams featured all-conference return specialist Albert Wilson, who ranked in the top five in the Sun Belt Conference in both punt returns and kickoff returns and is now a member of the Miami Dolphins.

During his first go-around at UNLV, Williams served two seasons (2010-11) as the Rebels’ assistant head coach, secondary coach and pass defense coordinator before he was elevated to defensive coordinator in 2012, when he continued to coach the defensive backs.

Williams went to UNLV after spending the 2009 season as the cornerbacks coach at Utah. The Utes posted a 10-3 record, including a victory over Washington in the Poinsettia Bowl, and ranked 16th in the nation in passing yards allowed and ninth in pass efficiency defense.

He joined Utah after seven years working in the Pac-10. Williams was the defensive backs coach at Washington from 2006-08. He went to Washington after four seasons coaching the secondary at California.

Under then-head coach Jeff Tedford, the Bears amassed a 33-17 record and played in three bowl games during Williams’ stay from 2002-05. In 2005, Cal led the Pac-10 in pass efficiency defense (24th in the nation) and finished second in the league in total defense. In 2004, Cal ranked eighth in the nation in scoring defense and 24th in total defense.

Prior to going to Berkeley, Williams served two seasons as secondary coach at his alma mater, Fresno State, from 2000-01. Fresno State posted an 18-7 record and made back-to-back Silicon Valley Bowl appearances.

Williams also coached the secondary at Cal Poly in 1998 and San Jose State in 1999. He began his coaching career in 1997 as a Fresno State graduate assistant. Williams was a G.A. under Pat Hill (1997) – Jeff Tedford was on that staff as the offensive coordinator – and returned as an assistant coach under Pat Hill from 2000-01.

A wide receiver turned cornerback at Fresno State from 1986-89, was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft (16th overall by the Buffalo Bills, 1990). Williams was an AP honorable mention All-American in 1988, a second-team Sporting News All-American, and a third-team AP All-American in 1989. In addition to being named an All-American, he was a two-time all-Big West first-team selection and the Defensive MVP of the East-West Shrine game. He was also a standout triple jumper and sprinter, winning the 1986 Big West triple jump crown and competing on the conference championship 4x100-meter relay team that set a school record of 40.18.

During his seven-year professional career, he was a member of all four Bills’ teams that advanced to the Super Bowl from 1991-94. In 2002, he was inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame.