Keiland Terrell Williams (born August 14, 1986) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

who played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He was signed by the Redskins as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2010. He played college football at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

. He also played for the Detroit Lions.

Early years

Williams began his prep career at Broussard middle school in Broussard Louisiana, then began his high school career at Northside High School in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he rushed for more than 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns in his junior season. Williams was the Number three running back in the nation and number one in the state. He completed his eligibility at

Hargrave Military Academy Hargrave Military Academy (HMA) is a private, all-male, military boarding school located in the town of Chatham, Virginia. Hargrave is affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia emphasizing Christian values that focuses on a col ...

in Chatham, Virginia, where he became the first running back in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards a season, finishing with 160 carries for 1,325 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was teammates with

Vidal Hazelton Vidal Hazelton (born January 29, 1988) is a former Gridiron football wide receiver. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Cincinnati Bearcats football, Cincinnati. He formerly pl ...

, Jerrell Powe, and John Jerry. Williams was a highly sought recruit. After verbally committing to Louisiana State in January 2006 but refusing to sign on

National Signing Day National Signing Day has traditionally been the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for a collegiate sport with a school that is a member of the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

, Williams finally signed his letter of intent to LSU on February 10, 2006.

College career

Playing as a

true freshman Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

in 2006 for LSU, Williams rushed for a total of 436 yards on carries and 5 touchdowns. At the

2007 Sugar Bowl The 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl was a college football bowl game, which formed part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Played on January 3, 2007, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Or ...

versus Notre Dame Williams rushed for 107 yards on 14 attempts, scoring 2 touchdowns. Over the course of his career at LSU, Williams rushed for 1,699 yards on 299 carries and scored 17 rushing touchdowns. He also had 28 receptions for 273 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Professional career

Washington Redskins

Williams was signed by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

as an

following the 2010 NFL Draft. Although he had no carries in the regular season, Williams was activated for the week 5 game against the Green Bay Packers to back up

Ryan Torain Ryan Devon Torain (born August 10, 1986) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State University. He has also played for ...

, who started for the injured

Clinton Portis Clinton Earl Portis (born September 1, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes. He was drafted ...

. He had career highs with 89 yards rushing and two scores and 50 yards receiving and one touchdown in a 59-28 loss to Philadelphia. He was waived on September 3, 2011.

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions claimed Williams off of waivers on September 4, 2011. The Lions released him on October 18, 2012.

Second Stint with Redskins

The Washington Redskins signed Williams after they cut Ryan Grant on October 23, 2012. The Redskins waived him on August 31, 2013 for final roster cuts before the start of 2013 season.

References

External links

Washington Redskins bioDetroit Lions bioLSU Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Keiland 1986 births Living people Sportspeople from Lafayette, Louisiana Players of American football from Louisiana American football running backs LSU Tigers football players Washington Redskins players Detroit Lions players Hargrave Military Academy alumni