Jordan Williams (born November 23, 1994) is a professional

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He was originally drafted first overall in the

2020 CFL Draft The 2020 CFL Draft took place on April 30, 2020 at 8:00 pm ET and was broadcast on TSN and RDS.. 73 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCA ...

by the BC Lions. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

East Carolina Pirates The East Carolina Pirates are the athletic teams that represent East Carolina University (ECU), located in Greenville, North Carolina. All varsity-level sports teams participate at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division ...

High school career

Because his mother was in the military, Williams moved around frequently in his youth, including Baltimore and Pennsylvania. Williams was a three-year letterwinner at Jack Britt High School in

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-America C ...

. 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 East Carolina University (ECU) is a public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a teacher training school, East Carolina has grown from its orig ...

as a preferred walk-on after transferring from

Shaw University Shaw University is a private Baptist historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Founded on December 1, 1865, Shaw University is the oldest HBCU to begin offering courses in ...

as a freshman. He earned a scholarship and played nine games on special teams in the 2014 season as a redshirt freshman. Williams finished second in tackles with 81 as a sophomore. As a junior, he led the team in tackles with 77. Williams finished second on the team in tackles with 89 as a senior in 2017, including three for a loss and a forced fumble. 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 received an invite to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

Camp in 2018 but did not make the team. He continued to train and received Canadian citizenship. He nearly joined the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) ( French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Startin ...

out of training camp in 2019, but was convinced to enter the CFL Draft since his mother was Canadian.

BC Lions

Williams was drafted first overall in the

by the BC Lions. The number one pick was originally held by the Ottawa Redblacks, who dealt the pick the Calgary Stampeders, who subsequently traded the pick to the Lions on draft day. He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the

2020 CFL season The 2020 CFL season would have been the 67th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it would have been the 63rd season of the Canadian Football League. It was originally scheduled to begin on June 11; on April 7, the start of the s ...

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

in exchange for a first-round pick in the

2023 CFL Draft The 2023 CFL National Draft was a selection of National players by Canadian Football League teams that took place on May 2, 2023, at 8:00 pm ET. 72 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, ...

References

External links

Toronto Argonauts bio

East Carolina Pirates bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Jordan 1994 births Living people Canadian football linebackers American players of Canadian football American football linebackers East Carolina Pirates football players Players of American football from Fayetteville, North Carolina Players of Canadian football from North Carolina BC Lions players American sportspeople of Canadian descent Canadian Football League Rookie of the Year Award winners Toronto Argonauts players