Shomari Williams

Shomari Gyasi Williams (born March 8, 1985) is the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for the UBC Thunderbirds of U Sports football. He is a former professional Canadian football defensive end who played in parts of six seasons in the Canadian Football League. He was drafted first overall by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2010 CFL Draft after Saskatchewan traded up to be in a position to draft him. Williams played one season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before being traded back to Saskatchewan. He played college football for the Queen's Golden Gaels and the Houston Cougars.

Shomari Williams
UBC Thunderbirds
Born: (1985-03-08) March 8, 1985
Toronto, Ontario
Career information
CFL statusNational
Position(s)Defensive line coach
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight232 lb (105 kg)
UniversityQueen's
CFL Draft2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Drafted bySaskatchewan Roughriders
Career history
As coach
2018Queen's Gaels (AC)
2019–presentUBC Thunderbirds (DLC)
As player
2010–2012Saskatchewan Roughriders
2013Hamilton Tiger-Cats
2014Saskatchewan Roughriders
2015Calgary Stampeders*
2015Edmonton Eskimos*
Career highlights and awards
2009 Vanier Cup Champion
Honours
Career stats
  • Playing stats at CFL.ca (archive)

Off the field Shomari owns and operates two companies designed at helping high school student athletes get exposure and opportunities to receive athletic scholarships. Student Blitz is a company he founded while still at the University of Houston and used it to help several players still in Canada receive NCAA scholarships. Top Prospects is his Canadian company which now is home to Canada's largest database of high school football players.[1][2]

Amateur career

High school

Williams first attended North Park Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario where he played football for the North Park Vikings. He then attended Champlain Regional Prep in Lennoxville, Quebec for two years.[3] He was named the team's MVP and also secured a spot on the All-Canadian squad while in high school.[3] During one of his best games in high school, Williams recorded 11 tackles and a forced fumble.[3] While in high school, he was recruited by the University of Houston, University of South Florida, Rutgers, and Connecticut.[3][4]

University

At the University of Houston, Williams played mostly on special teams.[3] During his freshman season, he also spent time as a fullback. In his sophomore season, Williams played in all 13 of the club's games, the most action he saw during his time at Houston.[3] During his junior year, he competed in two games.[3] After his junior season, Williams transferred to Queen's University.[5] He had finished his degree in entrepreneurship at the University of Houston, and wanted to further his education in Canada.[6]

Williams played defensive end for the Queen's Golden Gaels. During the regular season he played in six games, recording 32 tackles and four sacks.[5] He was named Queen's University Athlete of the Week twice during the season.[7] In the playoffs, Williams contributed even more, recording 26 tackles and 5.5 sacks in four playoff games.[5][7] He was named Most Valuable Player at the 2009 Mitchell Bowl, where Queen's defeated the Laval Rouge et Or.[7] Queen's won the 2009 Vanier Cup as Canada's national champions.[5]

Professional career

Saskatchewan Roughriders

After impressing at the CFL Evaluation Camp, Williams was named the top prospect in the Canadian Football League’s Amateur Scouting Bureau rankings for players eligible in the 2010 CFL Draft.[8] On the day prior to the draft, the Toronto Argonauts traded the number one overall draft pick to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, along with the eighth overall pick, for punter Jamie Boreham and the second and fourth overall picks in the 2010 draft.[9] Williams was flown into Regina to be introduced on May 2, 2010 as the number one overall selection in the 2010 CFL Draft.[10] He agreed to a contract with the Roughriders on May 12, 2010.[11] Williams played 3 seasons with the Roughriders. His first two seasons were mostly as a member of the special teams units. In his third season he received significant playing time at the defensive end and linebacker positions, recording 59 tackles and 2 sacks.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On February 15, 2013, the first day of CFL free agency, Williams signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.[12] In 2013, Williams missed much of the season with the Tiger-Cats with an injury.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (II)

On February 17, 2014, Williams was part of a trade that sent him back to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.[13] He played in all 18 regular season games, amassing 17 special teams tackles. He was released on March 2, 2015.[14]

Calgary Stampeders

On March 10, 2015, Williams signed a contract with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.[15]

Coaching career

Queen's Gaels

On July 16, 2018, Williams joined the Queen's Gaels as the team's assistant coach in charge of recruiting. He spent the 2018 U Sports football season with his alma mater.[16]

UBC Thunderbirds

For the 2019 U Sports football season, Williams joined the UBC Thunderbirds as the team's defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator.[17]

References
  1. "Riders' Williams to stage off-season combines for top football prospects - CBC CFL News - Sports - MSN CA". sports.ca.msn.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  2. "Top Prospects".
  3. "Player Bio: Shomari Williams". University of Houston. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  4. "Riders' Williams creates prospect database - Sportsnet.ca".
  5. "Shomari Williams". Saskatchewan Roughriders. Archived from the original on 2010-11-27. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  6. "Q&A with prospect Shomari Williams". Canadian Football League. 2009-12-13. Archived from the original on 2010-04-23. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  7. "Shomari Williams". Queen's University. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  8. "Queen's linebacker Shomari Williams tops CFL draft rankings". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  9. "Argos Agree To Trade Top Pick in 2010 Draft To Roughriders". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  10. "Saskatchewan Roughriders select Shomari Williams with No. 1 pick in CFL draft". Regina Leader Post. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  11. "Riders ink deals with Williams, Wallace". Canadian Broadcast Corporation. 2010-05-12. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  12. TSN.ca Staff. "TICATS SIGN WILLIAMS, BULCKE, MCCOLLOUGH TO HELP ON DEFENCE".
  13. "Riders Make Trade with Tiger-Cats". oursportscentral.com. February 17, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  14. Former first overall pick, Shomari Williams released Archived 2015-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
  15. "Stampeders sign free agent LB Williams". TSN. TSN.ca Staff. 10 March 2015.
  16. "Former CFL and Vanier Cup Champion Shomari Williams returns to Queen's Football as Assistant Coach, Recruiting". July 16, 2018.
  17. "Blake Nill welcomes youthful presence to 2019 T-Birds coaching staff". July 4, 2019.
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