Former Clemson Tiger Joins Oklahoma Staff Under Brent Venables

A former Clemson defensive tackle and longtime NFL veteran is starting his coaching career under his old collegiate defensive coordinator.

A former Clemson defensive tackle and NFL veteran is moving into the next phase of his football career after nine seasons in the league. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

We’ve seen plenty of former Clemson Tigers transition into coaching roles within the program over the years, but one alumnus appears to be carving out a slightly different path.

On Friday, On3’s George Stoia of SoonerScoop announced that Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables is expected to hire former Clemson defensive tackle and NFL veteran DeShawn Williams in a defensive analyst role.

The job will be Williams’ first coaching role, as he recently retired from the NFL after a nine-year career.

The 33-year-old played under Venables from 2012 to 2014, during the first three years of the now-head coach’s nine-year run as Clemson’s defensive coordinator.

As a Central, South Carolina native, Williams always knew Clemson was home and entered his true freshman season as a high-upside interior presence. Through 14 game appearances, Williams totaled 13 tackles, with one for a loss.

Over the next two years, he’d emerge as one of the better defensive tackles on the team, making nine starts through 24 games and racking up 50 tackles, six for a loss, two sacks, two pass deflections and one forced fumble.

As a senior in 2014, Williams had the best season of his career, logging 23 tackles, eight for a loss, three sacks and one pass deflection alongside fellow future pros in Grady Jarrett and D.J. Reader.

Unfortunately, the 295-pound defensive tackle went undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft; however, he was soon signed by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he spent the next two years alternating between the practice squad and the active roster.

He spent the next three years as a practice squad player for the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts before dropping down to the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 2020, signing with the Calgary Stampeders. He did not appear in a game that year, though, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to shut down for the year.

Ahead of the 2020 NFL season, the Broncos re-signed Williams after a year apart, and he proved why he still belonged at the highest level. Over the next three seasons, he started 34 of 46 games for the team and totaled 113 tackles (nine for a loss), 7.5 sacks, eight pass deflections and one interception.

Williams then signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers in 2023, coming off a career year, but his production slightly dipped as he recorded 33 tackles, two for a loss, one pass deflection and one sack through 10 starts. 

He then signed with the Buffalo Bills ahead of the 2024 season, but he was released as part of the final roster cuts in late August. His final NFL stint was, yet again, with the Panthers, where he played in 12 games, logging 16 tackles and half a sack during the 2024 season.