Donte Williams
Donte Antonio Williams (born September 1, 1982) is an American football coach who was most recently the interim head coach at the University of Southern California (USC). He previously served as USC's associate head coach, and assumed interim head coaching duties on September 13, 2021 after Clay Helton was fired.[1] A coach with stints at Oregon, Nebraska, Arizona, and San Jose State, Williams has established himself as one of the nation's top college football recruiters.[2]
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Cornerbacks coach |
| Team | USC Trojans |
| Conference | Pac-12 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | September 1, 1982 Los Angeles, California |
| Playing career | |
| 2002 | Pasadena CC |
| 2003 | Syracuse |
| 2004–2005 | Idaho State |
| 2007 | Rio Grande Valley Dorados |
| 2008 | Arkansas Twisters |
| Position(s) | Defensive back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2007 | Los Angeles Harbor CC (CB) |
| 2008 | El Camino JC (CB) |
| 2009 | Mt. San Antonio JC (CB) |
| 2010 | Nevada (DQC) |
| 2011–2012 | Washington (GA) |
| 2013 | San Jose State (CB) |
| 2014–2015 | San Jose State (DB/RC) |
| 2016 | Arizona (CB) |
| 2017 | Nebraska (CB) |
| 2018–2019 | Oregon (CB) |
| 2020 | USC (PGC/CB) |
| 2021 | USC (AHC/PGC/CB) |
| 2021 | USC (interim HC) |
| 2022-present | USC (CB) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 3–7 |
Williams played college football at Pasadena City College, Syracuse, and Idaho State before playing professionally in the AF2.
Coaching career
Early career
Williams began his coaching career in 2007 at Los Angeles Harbor College as their cornerbacks coach. He then went to serve in the same position at El Camino College in 2008. In 2009, Williams joined Mt. San Antonio College as their cornerbacks coach.
Nevada
In 2010, Williams was hired as a defensive quality control coach at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Washington
In 2011, Williams joined as a graduate assistant at the University of Washington.
San Jose State
In 2013, Williams was hired to be the cornerbacks coach at San Jose State University. In 2014, he was promoted to defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator.
Arizona
In 2016, Williams joined the University of Arizona as their cornerbacks coach.
Nebraska
In 2017, Williams was hired to be the cornerbacks coach at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Oregon
In 2018, Williams joined the University of Oregon as their cornerbacks coach under head coach Mario Cristobal.
USC
In 2020, Williams was hired as the defensive passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach at the University of Southern California (USC) under head coach Clay Helton. In 2021, he was promoted to assistant head coach.
On September 13, 2021, Williams was named interim head coach following the firing of head coach Clay Helton. On September 18, 2021, Williams made his head coaching debut and led the Trojans to a victory against Washington State by a score of 45–14.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USC Trojans (Pac-12 Conference) (2021–present) | |||||||||
| 2021 | USC | 3–7[lower-alpha 1] | 3–5 | T–4th (South) | |||||
| USC: | 3–7 | 3–5 | |||||||
| Total: | 3–7 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Notes
- Williams was named interim head coach on September 13 after Clay Helton was fired.
References
- "USC Athletic Director Mike Bohn Announces Change In Leadership Of The Football Program". USC Athletics. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- "Five things you need to know about new USC interim coach Donte Williams". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 September 2021.