Jordan Williams

Jordan Xavier Williams (born November 23, 1994) is an American-Canadian former professional football linebacker who played three seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was selected by the BC Lions with the first overall pick of the 2020 CFL draft. He played college football for the East Carolina Pirates.

Early life Because his mother was in the military, Williams moved around frequently in his youth, including Baltimore and Hawaii. Williams was a three-year letterwinner at Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He was twice an All-Mid-South 4-A Conference selection. However, his collegiate options were limited due to academic issues.

College career Williams joined East Carolina as a preferred walk-on after transferring from Shaw University as a freshman. He earned a scholarship and played nine games on special teams in the 2014 season as a redshirt freshman. In his career, Williams started 25 of 45 games and posted 252 tackles (123 solo), 13.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, three pass breakups and an interception. Williams also contributed 11 double-digit tackle performances. He earned a bachelor's degree from ECU in Health & Communications minor.

Professional career

Early career Williams tried out for the San Francisco 49ers in 2018 but was not signed. He continued to train and received Canadian citizenship. He nearly joined the Ottawa Redblacks out of training camp in 2019, but was convinced to enter the CFL draft since his mother was Canadian. He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season and was officially signed by the Lions on May 5, 2021. Williams had an outstanding 2021 season with the Lions, and set a CFL record for most defensive tackles in a season by a Canadian rookie with 92, surpassing the previous high of 75 set by Mike O'Shea in 1993. Following his impressive 2021 season, Williams was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie and was just the second number one draft pick to win the award.

Toronto Argonauts On February 9, 2023, it was announced that Williams had been traded to the Toronto Argonauts in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2023 CFL draft. He played in 14 regular season games in 2023, starting in 13, where he had 48 defensive tackles and four special teams tackles. However, on May 8, 2024, it was announced that Williams had retired.