William Likely III (born September 13, 1994) is an

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 with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

for the

Memphis Showboats The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the mo ...

of the United Football League (UFL). 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 ...

at the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...

. On September 5, 2015, Likely broke a 76-year-old

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

single-game record when he returned 8 punts for 233 yards in the season opener against Richmond. He was selected by both the coaches and media as a first-team return specialist and also by the coaches as a first-team defensive back on the

2015 All-Big Ten Conference football team The 2015 All-Big Ten Conference football team consists of American football players chosen as All-Big Ten Conference players for the 2015 Big Ten Conference football season. The conference recognizes two official All-Big Ten selectors: (1) the Big ...

College career

Likely played for the

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...

from 2013 to 2016. ;Maryland career records * Single-season interception return yards (170, 2014) * Single-season interceptions returned for TD (2, 2014) * Single-game kickoff return yards (228 yards vs. Michigan State, 2014) * Single-game punt return yards (233 yards vs. Richmond, 2015) * Co-longest kickoff return average in a season (31.0 yards, 2014) * Co-longest kickoff return (100 yards vs. Stanford, 2014)

Professional career

New England Patriots

Likely signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on June 5, 2017. He was waived on September 2, 2017.

Toronto Argonauts

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 ...

signed Likely to their

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

on August 21, 2018.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Likely was signed to the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

' practice roster on June 18, 2019. He was promoted to the active roster on July 12, and demoted to the practice roster on July 31. He was promoted again on September 19, and demoted again on September 26. He was released from the practice roster after the season on November 26, 2019.

DC Defenders

Likely signed with the

DC Defenders The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha Acquico. The ...

of the

XFL XFL may refer to: Sports * XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001 * XFL (2020), a professional American football league Vehicles * Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...

during mini-camp in December 2019. He was waived during final roster cuts on January 22, 2020.

Houston Gamblers

Likely was selected in the 9th round of the

2022 USFL draft The 2022 USFL Draft, also known as the 2022 USFL Player Selection Meeting, was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2022 USFL season. The draft was held on February 22–23, 2022, with results released throug ...

by the

Houston Gamblers The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons. They were noteworthy for introducing ...

Houston Roughnecks

The

Houston Roughnecks The Houston Roughnecks are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL founded by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment and plays its home games at TDECU Stadium. History ...

selected Likely in the first round of the

2023 XFL Supplemental Draft The 2023 XFL Draft, is the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams of the 2020 reboot of the XFL, and the second draft in that league's history following the 2020 draft. The draft was held on November 15–17, 2022, with ...

on January 1, 2023. The Roughnecks brand was transferred to the

when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).

Memphis Showboats

Likely was selected by the

in the seventh round of the Super Draft portion during the

2024 UFL dispersal draft The 2024 UFL dispersal draft was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2024 UFL season and disperse the rosters from the eight teams from its component conferences, the XFL and USFL, that were not retained i ...

on January 15, 2024. He signed with the team on January 25.

Notes

References

External links

Maryland Terrapins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Likely, William 1994 births Living people American football defensive backs American football return specialists Maryland Terrapins football players New England Patriots players Players of American football from Belle Glade, Florida Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Toronto Argonauts players Canadian football defensive backs DC Defenders players Houston Gamblers (2022) players Houston Roughnecks players Memphis Showboats (2022) players Players of Canadian football from Florida