Oregon State alum Aric Williams to lead Willamette University football
Willamette University has announced Oregon State alum Aric Williams will be the Bearcats' new head football coach.
Williams will take over for Tim Rude, who led Willamette to a 1-9 overall record this year after the departure of head coach Isaac Parker at the start of the season.
Williams will begin working with the team immediately, according to a statement from the university. In addition to playing cornerback for the Beavers and being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, Williams has been an assistant coach at multiple Division I schools.
"I saw the opportunity to be part of a prestigious and high academic university, and being able to lead young men that understand the importance of doing well in the classroom, but also have a passion to play a sport that demands a lot of you," Williams said.
Williams' hiring comes three months after the unexplained departure of Parker, a Bearcat alum who was hired in 2018. In Parker's first season as head coach in 2019, Willamette went 2-8. The 2020 season was canceled because of the pandemic, and the Bearcats went 1-9 in 2021 and 2-8 last season.
Williams began coaching in 2009 as a graduate assistant for quality control at Arizona State. He went on to coach as an assistant at the University of Montana and University of Idaho. Most recently, he was cornerback coach at San Jose State from 2018 to 2021 and was defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Montana Tech in 2022.
Williams said he plans to call on his own playing experiences and history with other coaches to lead the Bearcats.
"I have seen what is effective in winning and turning programs around, and I plan on implementing those elements into this program," Williams said. "I've had the opportunity to be part of taking teams with losing records and turning them into conference champions. I plan to do that again at Willamette."
Olivia Stevens is the Statesman Journal's sports intern. You can reach out with comments or questions at ostevens@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter @byoliviastevens.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon State's Aric Williams to lead Willamette Bearcats football
