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D. J. Williams (running back)

D. J. Williams
No. 30 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1999-11-15) November 15, 1999 (age 25)
Lake Placid, Florida, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Sebring
(Sebring, Florida)
College:Auburn (2019–2020)
Florida State (2021)
Arizona (2022–2023)
Undrafted:2024
Career history
Roster status:Active
Stats at Pro Football Reference

D. J. Williams (born November 15, 1999) is an American professional football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers, Florida State Seminoles and Arizona Wildcats.

Early life

Williams was born on November 15, 1999.[1] He is a nephew of Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Edgerrin James.[2] He attended Sebring High School in Florida and played quarterback, throwing for 1,113 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior while also running for 1,221 yards and 21 touchdowns.[3] He received little attention as a recruit after being injured as a junior, but then received significant attention for his strong senior season.[3] A three-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the Auburn Tigers as a running back, after previously having committed to the Appalachian State Mountaineers.[4][5]

College career

As a true freshman at Auburn in 2019, Williams ran 84 times for 400 yards and two touchdowns, also catching five receptions for 32 yards, with a top performance of 130 rushing yards against national champion LSU.[6] Limited by injuries as a sophomore in 2020, he totaled 34 rushes for 199 yards that year, placing third on the team.[7][8] He transferred to the Florida State Seminoles after the season.[9]

Williams saw limited action with the Seminoles in 2021, appearing in only six games and totaling 10 rushes for 47 yards.[10] He entered the NCAA transfer portal a second time following the 2021 season, committing to the Arizona Wildcats.[11] In 2022, he appeared in all 12 games for Arizona and finished with 60 rush attempts for 376 yards and three touchdowns.[12] As a senior in 2023, he made one start and posted 85 rushes for 372 yards and five touchdowns.[12] He concluded his collegiate career having ran 277 times for 1,394 yards and 13 touchdowns, while having appeared in 48 games.[13]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9+5⁄8 in
(1.77 m) 		225 lb
(102 kg) 		30+1⁄4 in
(0.77 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.59 s 1.69 s 2.69 s 4.59 s 7.49 s 30.5 in
(0.77 m)		 9 ft 1 in
(2.77 m)		 16 reps
All values from Pro Day[14]

After going unselected in the 2024 NFL draft, Williams signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent on May 10, 2024.[15] He was released on August 27, 2024, and re-signed to the practice squad the following day.[16][17] He was elevated to the active roster for the team's Week 6 game against the New Orleans Saints.[18]

References

  1. ^ "D.J. Williams". ESPN.
  2. ^ Vitale, Josh (October 17, 2019). "D.J. Williams has ability, pedigree to take advantage of any opportunity Auburn gives him". The Montgomery Advertiser.
  3. ^ a b Lasin, Julius (October 8, 2019). "D.J. Williams: 3 things to know about the Auburn football running back". The Montgomery Advertiser.
  4. ^ Green, Tom (December 19, 2018). "3-star running back DJ Williams commits to Auburn". AL.com.
  5. ^ Vitale, Josh (April 17, 2019). "From App State commit to A-Day standout, D.J. Williams shows why Auburn recruited him". The Montgomery Advertiser.
  6. ^ Han, Giana (October 19, 2020). "Injured D.J. Williams helped Tigers, now he's almost back to full strength". AL.com.
  7. ^ Vitale, Josh (January 8, 2021). "Auburn football running back D.J. Williams transfers to Florida State". The Montgomery Advertiser.
  8. ^ Zanitz, Matt (January 8, 2021). "Auburn running back enters transfer portal". AL.com.
  9. ^ Weiler, Curt (January 9, 2021). "Florida State lands commitment from Auburn running back transfer DJ Williams". Tallahassee Democrat.
  10. ^ Karels, Carter (June 2, 2022). "Florida State's D.J. Williams puts name into transfer portal, decongests running back room". Tallahassee Democrat.
  11. ^ White, Alec (June 14, 2022). "Arizona lands former Auburn, Florida State running back D.J. Williams". Arizona Daily Star.
  12. ^ a b "DJ Williams". Arizona Wildcats.
  13. ^ Smith, Scott (October 12, 2024). "WR Ryan Miller, RB D.J. Williams Elevated for Saints Game". Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
  14. ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout DJ Williams College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "Buccaneers' DJ Williams: Joins Tampa Bay". CBS Sports. RotoWire. May 10, 2024.
  16. ^ Carey, Maura (August 26, 2024). "Buccaneers cut-down day tracker: Introducing Tampa Bay's 53-man roster". GulfLive.com.
  17. ^ Smith, Scott (August 29, 2024). "WRs Miller, Shepard, Thompson All Return on Bucs' First Practice Squad of 2024". Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
  18. ^ "Buccaneers' D.J. Williams: Bumped up from practice squad". CBS Sports. RotoWire. October 13, 2024.
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