Position: Strong Safety College: Oklahoma  Height: 6-0 Weight: 219

High school All-America defensive back from California. Also ran track and was clocked at an unofficial 10.9 in the 100 meters. Played in three games in 1998 before a back injury shelved him and led to his redshirting. Started the last five games in '99 and every game in 2000 and '01 at strong safety. Was an All-Big 12 selection in 2000 and got some All-America notice. Was a unanimous All-American and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and won the Bronco Nagurski and Jim Thorpe awards as the top defensive player and defensive back in the country, respectively. Finished seventh in Heisman voting and got more votes than any player other than a quarterback. Had 75 stops, including six for loss and one sack in 1999, and he also picked off two passes and broke up 11. Had 99-13-4-2-10 in 2000. As a fourth-year junior in '01, had 101-11-2-5-4. His flying hit of Texas QB Chris Simms forced a key, game-clinching interception vs. the Longhorns, and he returned a fumble for a score vs. Kansas State.

Has well-defined muscle definition, long arms and thick legs … Skilled man-coverage defender who has very quick feet … Stays low in his backpedal, showing fluid motions turning and running out of it … Anticipates the pass well, showing proper timing and leaping ability tracking the ball in flight … Reacts well to receivers' moves and is very active in run support … Effective blitzer with a sharp burst off the corner … Physical tackler who goes low in his stance and extends his arms to secure and wrap the ball carrier … Can plant and turn with explosion … Very comfortable working in the short area, doing a nice job of preventing the hooks and crossing patterns from developing … Turns his hips easily and gets his head around quickly on deep routes … Disruptive blitzer who gets aggressive when flushing the quarterback out of the pocket and shows consistency when closing.

CAREER NOTES

Regarded as the hardest-hitting tackler in the country at his position and one of college football premier talents, the 2001 defensive captain decided to bypass his quest for breaking school records to test his skills at the pro level by entering the 2002 draft as an underclassman … Holds the school's career record with 47 pass deflections, topping the old mark 37 by Mike Woods (1996-99) … He ranks third on the Sooners' all-time record list for defensive backs with 269 tackles (188 solos) … His 29 tackles behind the line of scrimmage established a new career record at Oklahoma, topping the old mark of 20 by Ontei Jones (1997-2000).

2001 SEASON

Unanimous All-America and All-Big 12 Conference first-team selection … Named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and College Football News … Winner of the Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top defensive back … Recipient of the Nagurski Award, given to college football's top defensive player … Started every game at strong safety … Set a school season record with 27 pass deflections, shattering the old mark of 17 by Mike Woods (1999) … Recorded a career-high 101 tackles (73 solos) with two sacks for minus-16 yards and 11 stops for losses of 40 yards … Only Gana Joseph (105 in both 1996 and 1998) and Rodney Rideau (111 in 1999) had more tackles in a season among defensive backs at Oklahoma … His 11 stops behind the line of scrimmage was one shy of his own school single-season record for defensive backs (12 in 2000) … Intercepted five passes and recovered three fumbles.

• North Carolina -- Sacked QB Ronald Curry for a 3-yard loss and made 7 tackles (4 solos).
  
• Air Force -- Made 8 tackles (6 solos) with 2 stops for minus-6 yards.
  
• North Texas -- Caused a fumble, deflected 3 passes, made 14 hits (10 solos) with a stop for a 4-yard loss and had a pair of interceptions for 23 yards in returns.
  
• Kansas State -- Returned a fumble recovery 18 yards for a touchdown and was in on 9 solo tackles.
  
• Texas -- Picked off a pass, deflected 3 others, collected 8 tackles (7 solos), stopped tailback Cedric Benson for a 3-yard loss and made a crunching hit on QB Chris Simms that forced an interception … The pass was picked off by OU middle linebacker Teddy Lehman, who returned the ball for a game-winning touchdown in a 14-3 triumph.
  
• Kansas -- Advanced a fumble recovery 7 yards and delivered 7 tackles (4 solos).
  
• Baylor -- Had an interception, 5 pass deflections and 9 tackles (6 solos).
  
• Nebraska -- Added 9 hits (8 solos) with a stop for a 2-yard loss and a pass breakup.
  
• Tulsa -- Deflected 2 passes and intercepted another.
  
• Texas Tech -- Registered 10 tackles (8 solos) with a 13-yard sack and 4 pass breakups.
  
• Oklahoma State -- Posted 7 tackles (6 solos) with a stop for a 5-yard loss.
  
• Arkansas (Cotton Bowl) -- Finished his career with 6 tackles (5 solos), 2 sacks for minus-8 yards and 3 stops for losses of 17 yards.

2000 SEASON

Named first-team All-American by Rivals.com … First-team All-Big 12 Conference pick by the league coaches, Associated Press and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, adding second-team honors from the Dallas Morning News and Houston Chronicle … Started all year at strong safety … Third on the team with 93 tackles (58 solos) … His 12 stops for losses of 46 yards set a school season record for defensive backs … Had four sacks for losses of 25 yards … Picked off two passes and deflected nine others … Also recovered a fumble.

1999 SEASON

Named a Freshman All-American by The Sporting News … Played in every game at started the final five contests … Recorded 75 tackles (57 solos) with a 5-yard sack and six stops for losses of 21 yards … Intercepted two passes and deflected 11 others … Also caused a fumble.

1998 SEASON

Another outstanding true freshman who stepped in and contributed immediately on defense and special teams … Played in the first three games of the season before suffering a back injury that forced him out of action the remainder of the year … Received a medical hardship to regain a year of eligibility … Did not record any statistics.

AGILITY TESTS

4.53 in the 40-yard dash … 2.67 20-yard dash … 1.62 10-yard dash … 30.5-inch vertical jump … 9'7" broad jump … 10.9 100-meter dash … Bench presses 225 pounds 13 times … 32½-inch arm length … 10 1/2-inch hands.

HIGH SCHOOL

Played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back during his career at James Logan (Union City, Calif.) High … Was the top-rated defensive back prospect in Western Region by PrepStar … Recorded five interceptions and 56 tackles in the James Logan secondary as a senior … Caught 13 passes for 301 yards and five touchdowns in 1997 as a wide receiver … Ran for 162 yards and a touchdown on 38 carries as a quarterback … Also threw for 49 yards on 5-of-12 passing … Was one of the main reasons that Logan High had a four-year record of 38-10, two North Coast Section Class 4A championship appearances (1994 and 1997) and two semifinal appearances (1995 and 1996) … Also lettered in track (clocked at 10.9 seconds in the 100 meters).

PERSONAL

Sociology major … Son of Deborah and Roy Williams … Born Aug. 14, 1980 in Redwood City, Calif. … Resides in Union City, Calif.

STATS