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Jersey Number 0
Rayshad Williams
- Position:
- Defensive Back
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 215
- Class:
- Super-Senior
- Hometown:
- Memphis, Tenn.
- High School:
- Whitehaven
2023 SEASON (SUPER SENIOR)
Put together a strong final season as a Red Raider โฆ appeared in 12 games overall with eight starts at cornerback โฆ missed only one game, which came due to injury in the Radiant Technologies Independence Bowl โฆ closed his collegiate career by appearing in exactly 60 games between his time as a Red Raider and UCLA โฆ totaled 19 tackles on the season (16 solo), including 1.0 that went for a loss, to go along with six pass breakups โฆ notched multiple tackles in six games overall โฆ ranked sixth on the team for pass breakups as five of those came during Big 12 play โฆ credited with playing in 473 defensive snaps by Pro Football Focus โฆ targeted 27 times in coverage with only 13 of those passes completed โฆ his .481 completion percentage against him was the second-lowest on the team behind only Bralyn Lux (.466) โฆ allowed only one touchdown through the air on the season โฆ SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: opened the season with two tackles in two of the first three games of the season at Wyoming (9/2) and against Tarleton State (9/16) โฆ recorded a season-high five stops in between those two contests in Texas Techโs home opener against Oregon (9/16) โฆ posted three tackles in the win over Houston (9/30) and then two stops in the road victory at Baylor (10/7) โฆ one of those tackles at Baylor went for a loss, just his third solo stop behind the line in his career โฆ broke up a pass in the win over the Bears as well, grading out at 72.8 overall by PFF โฆ received his best grade of the season by PFF against Kansas State (10/14), finishing at 78.0 after registering a tackle and a season-high two pass breakups โฆ combined for four tackles the rest of the season with one at BYU (10/21) and UCF (11/18) and two versus TCU (11/2) โฆ broke up a pass in the win over the Knights as well as the week before against Kansas (11/11) โฆ performance versus TCU was part of his 32nd and final start of his Red Raider career ...ย 2024 NFL DRAFT: signed as an undrafted free agent with the Las Vegas Raidersย organization immediately following the draft.ย
2022 SEASON (SENIOR)
Once again one of Texas Techโs most-relied upon defensive backs in the secondary โฆ appeared in all 13 and started in 12 of those with the lone exception being the TaxAct Texas Bowl victory โฆ totaled 37 tackles (28 solo), including one that went for a loss โฆ added seven pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery from his spot at cornerback โฆ ranked second on the team for pass breakups behind only fellow cornerback Malik Dunlap โฆ finished one tackle shy of his total from his 2021 debut season as a Red Raider โฆ had at least one tackle in all 13 games and posted three or more in eight different contests โฆ had two or more stops in eight of nine games during Big 12 play โฆ of his eight total passes defended, seven of those came against conference foes โฆ credited with playing in 872 defensive snaps by Pro Football Focus, which ranked third on the team behind only Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Marquis Waters โฆ targeted 54 times by opposing offenses with only 25 of those resulting in completions (46.3 percent) according to PFF โฆ marked the lowest completion percentage among defensive players targeted at least 10 times on the season โฆ also saw action on 140 snaps on special teams, mainly as part of punt return and the kick block units โฆ made occasional appearances throughout the year on kick return, punt coverage and kickoff coverage as well โฆ IN NCAA RANKINGS: was one of only 12 FBS players to have at least five passes defended in a game all season โฆ ranked tied for fifth overall with his five passes defended at Oklahoma State โฆ IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: was the lone Big 12 player to record five or more passes defended in a game all season โฆ ranked tied for 10th in the league with seven passes defended against conference foes โฆ was tied for eighth overall with seven total pass breakups on the season โฆ SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: opened the season with three tackles in each of the first two games against Murray State (9/3) and Houston (9/10) โฆ lone tackle for loss came in the win over Murray State, while his first pass breakup of the year was in the Houston victory โฆ began Big 12 play with four stops and another pass breakup in the overtime victory over Texas (9/24) โฆ put together possibly his best performance of the season at Oklahoma State (10/8) with three tackles and a career-high five pass breakups โฆ marked only the third time since 2000 where a Red Raider had at least five passes defended in a game, joining the likes of Justis Nelson (2014 at TCU) and Jamar Wall (2009 vs. Oklahoma) โฆ marked only the 14th time in that same period for a Big 12 player to do so as well and the first time since West Virginiaโs Dreshun Miller also had five passes defended versus Kansas State in 2020 โฆ credited with two tackles in each of the next three games against West Virginia (10/22), Baylor (10/29) and at TCU (11/5) โฆ recorded each of his two takeaways during that stretch as well with an interception versus West Virginia and a fumble recovery against Baylor โฆ interception came on West Virginiaโs first play of the fourth quarter on a deep pass from J.T. Daniels, which all but sealed the win โฆ marked the first interception of his career โฆ the Red Raiders were able to cut the lead to seven points after his fumble recovery against Baylor, which came with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter โฆ was also the first fumble recovery of his career โฆ combined for 13 tackles over the final three games of the regular season with four against Kansas (11/12), three at Iowa State (11/19) and a season-high six versus Oklahoma (11/26) โฆ was only one tackle shy of his career high in the win over the Sooners โฆ closed the season with three tackles in the TaxAct Texas Bowl win over Ole Miss โฆ AWARDS AND HONORS: garnered honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades by the conference coaches ...ย recognized on the Academic All-Big 12 second team for his work in the classroom ... SENIOR DECISION: elected to return to the Red Raiders for a super senior season in 2023 as part of the extra year of eligibility afforded due to the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
2021 SEASON (JUNIOR)
Put together strong debut as one of Texas Techโs most reliable members in the secondary during debut season โฆ appeared in all 13 games overall, including 12 starts at cornerback โฆ totaled 38 tackles (30 solo) from the secondary, including 1.5 that went for a loss โฆ ranked second on the team with 10 pass breakups, one fewer than team leader DaMarcus Fields โฆ set career highs for most tackles and passes defended thus far in his career โฆ had at least two tackles in 11 of 13 games overall โฆ recorded a pass breakup in eight different games as well โฆ led the team with 836 snaps defensively according to Pro Football Focus โฆ credited with 95 snaps on special teams with 39 on punt return and 56 on field goal block โฆ SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: began his Red Raider career with two tackles and a pass breakup in the come-from-behind win over Houston (9/4) โฆ made his first start of the season the next week with three tackles and another pass breakup versus Stephen F. Austin (9/11) โฆ closed non-conference play with four stops and a season-high two pass breakups against Florida International (9/18) โฆ combined for five tackles over the first four games of Big 12 play with two stops at both Texas (9/25) and West Virginia (10/2) and another versus TCU (10/9) โฆ had two pass breakups during that stretch, both of which that came at Kansas (10/16) โฆ posted three tackles against both Kansas State (10/23) and at Oklahoma (10/30) โฆ shared a tackle for loss versus the Wildcats to go along with a pass breakup โฆ notched four tackles in the win over Iowa State, including one that went for a seven-yard loss โฆ set a career high with seven tackles against Iowa State (11/20) โฆ the Cyclones started a three-game streak to end the year with a pass breakup in each contest โฆ closed the regular season with two stops at Baylor (11/27) โฆ credited with five tackles in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl win over Mississippi State (12/28) โฆ AWARDS AND HONORS: honorable mention All-Big 12 selection by the conference coaches.
PRIOR TO TEXAS TECH
Transferred to Texas Tech following three seasons at UCLA โฆ arrived at Texas Tech with three full seasons of eligibility remaining โฆ appeared in 22 games over his three seasons at UCLA, totaling 42 tackles (36 solo) with three pass breakups during that span โฆ made eight starts during his UCLA tenure, all of which came over the final nine games of his 2019 redshirt freshman season โฆ all eight of those starts came during Pac-12 play โฆ recorded 11 multi-tackle games during his UCLA career with six contests of four or more stops โฆ 2020 SEASON (SOPHOMORE): appeared in six games during the COVID-shortened season โฆ credited with nine tackles (six solo) to go along with a pass breakup โฆ listed with two tackles in four different games โ at Oregon (11/21), at Arizona State (12/5) and at home versus both USC (12/12) and Stanford (12/19) โฆ broke up his lone pass of the season in the crosstown rivalry game against the Trojans โฆ 2019 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN): closed the 2019 season with 33 tackles (30 solo) and two pass breakups while playing in all 12 games, including eight starts โฆ had at least two tackles in seven games overall and four or more stops six times โฆ finished tied for eighth on the team with his 33 tackles โฆ best performance of the season came at Washington State (9/21) with a career-high six tackles and his first career pass breakup โฆ marked the first game of his career with a tackle โฆ added four tackles the next week at Arizona (9/28) and then five stops two weeks later at Oregon State (10/5) โฆ final pass breakup of the season came versus the Beavers โฆ added five tackles again later in the season against both Arizona State (10/26) and at USC (11/23) โฆ posted four tackles versus Colorado (11/2) and two at Utah (11/16) before closing the season with one takedown against Cal (11/30) โฆ tabbed to the Athletic Directorโs Honor Roll for the spring 2020 semester โฆ 2018 SEASON (FRESHMAN): redshirt season โฆ saw action early in the season in non-conference play against Cincinnati (9/1), Oklahoma (9/8) and Fresno State (9/15) and then later in the year versus Arizona State (11/10).
ย
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Whitehaven High School in his hometown of Memphis, Tenn. โฆ considered one of the top high school prospects coming out of Tennessee before deciding to move to California โฆ helped lead Whitehaven to a perfect 15-0 record as a junior in 2016 and the Class 6A state title โฆ credited with 64 tackles, including four for a loss, and six interceptions as a senior โฆ totaled 44 tackles and three interceptions as a junior โฆ three-star prospect according to Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports โฆ listed as the No. 28 recruit in the state of Tennessee and the No. 85 cornerback prospect nationally by 247Sports โฆ was the No. 17 recruit in Tennessee and No. 14 cornerback in the country by Rivals โฆ ESPN listed him as the No. 24 recruit in the state and No. 53 cornerback for the 2018 class โฆ chose to attend UCLA over offers from Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Memphis, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
ย
PERSONAL
Rayshad Williams โฆ son of Carol and Raymond Williams โฆ has two brothers and a sister โฆ considers Jalen Ramsey and Troy Polamalu as two famous athletes he most admires... earned bachelor's degree in university studies from Texas Tech, December 2022 ... currently seeking a graduate degree in interdisciplinary studies.
Put together a strong final season as a Red Raider โฆ appeared in 12 games overall with eight starts at cornerback โฆ missed only one game, which came due to injury in the Radiant Technologies Independence Bowl โฆ closed his collegiate career by appearing in exactly 60 games between his time as a Red Raider and UCLA โฆ totaled 19 tackles on the season (16 solo), including 1.0 that went for a loss, to go along with six pass breakups โฆ notched multiple tackles in six games overall โฆ ranked sixth on the team for pass breakups as five of those came during Big 12 play โฆ credited with playing in 473 defensive snaps by Pro Football Focus โฆ targeted 27 times in coverage with only 13 of those passes completed โฆ his .481 completion percentage against him was the second-lowest on the team behind only Bralyn Lux (.466) โฆ allowed only one touchdown through the air on the season โฆ SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: opened the season with two tackles in two of the first three games of the season at Wyoming (9/2) and against Tarleton State (9/16) โฆ recorded a season-high five stops in between those two contests in Texas Techโs home opener against Oregon (9/16) โฆ posted three tackles in the win over Houston (9/30) and then two stops in the road victory at Baylor (10/7) โฆ one of those tackles at Baylor went for a loss, just his third solo stop behind the line in his career โฆ broke up a pass in the win over the Bears as well, grading out at 72.8 overall by PFF โฆ received his best grade of the season by PFF against Kansas State (10/14), finishing at 78.0 after registering a tackle and a season-high two pass breakups โฆ combined for four tackles the rest of the season with one at BYU (10/21) and UCF (11/18) and two versus TCU (11/2) โฆ broke up a pass in the win over the Knights as well as the week before against Kansas (11/11) โฆ performance versus TCU was part of his 32nd and final start of his Red Raider career ...ย 2024 NFL DRAFT: signed as an undrafted free agent with the Las Vegas Raidersย organization immediately following the draft.ย
2022 SEASON (SENIOR)
Once again one of Texas Techโs most-relied upon defensive backs in the secondary โฆ appeared in all 13 and started in 12 of those with the lone exception being the TaxAct Texas Bowl victory โฆ totaled 37 tackles (28 solo), including one that went for a loss โฆ added seven pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery from his spot at cornerback โฆ ranked second on the team for pass breakups behind only fellow cornerback Malik Dunlap โฆ finished one tackle shy of his total from his 2021 debut season as a Red Raider โฆ had at least one tackle in all 13 games and posted three or more in eight different contests โฆ had two or more stops in eight of nine games during Big 12 play โฆ of his eight total passes defended, seven of those came against conference foes โฆ credited with playing in 872 defensive snaps by Pro Football Focus, which ranked third on the team behind only Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Marquis Waters โฆ targeted 54 times by opposing offenses with only 25 of those resulting in completions (46.3 percent) according to PFF โฆ marked the lowest completion percentage among defensive players targeted at least 10 times on the season โฆ also saw action on 140 snaps on special teams, mainly as part of punt return and the kick block units โฆ made occasional appearances throughout the year on kick return, punt coverage and kickoff coverage as well โฆ IN NCAA RANKINGS: was one of only 12 FBS players to have at least five passes defended in a game all season โฆ ranked tied for fifth overall with his five passes defended at Oklahoma State โฆ IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: was the lone Big 12 player to record five or more passes defended in a game all season โฆ ranked tied for 10th in the league with seven passes defended against conference foes โฆ was tied for eighth overall with seven total pass breakups on the season โฆ SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: opened the season with three tackles in each of the first two games against Murray State (9/3) and Houston (9/10) โฆ lone tackle for loss came in the win over Murray State, while his first pass breakup of the year was in the Houston victory โฆ began Big 12 play with four stops and another pass breakup in the overtime victory over Texas (9/24) โฆ put together possibly his best performance of the season at Oklahoma State (10/8) with three tackles and a career-high five pass breakups โฆ marked only the third time since 2000 where a Red Raider had at least five passes defended in a game, joining the likes of Justis Nelson (2014 at TCU) and Jamar Wall (2009 vs. Oklahoma) โฆ marked only the 14th time in that same period for a Big 12 player to do so as well and the first time since West Virginiaโs Dreshun Miller also had five passes defended versus Kansas State in 2020 โฆ credited with two tackles in each of the next three games against West Virginia (10/22), Baylor (10/29) and at TCU (11/5) โฆ recorded each of his two takeaways during that stretch as well with an interception versus West Virginia and a fumble recovery against Baylor โฆ interception came on West Virginiaโs first play of the fourth quarter on a deep pass from J.T. Daniels, which all but sealed the win โฆ marked the first interception of his career โฆ the Red Raiders were able to cut the lead to seven points after his fumble recovery against Baylor, which came with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter โฆ was also the first fumble recovery of his career โฆ combined for 13 tackles over the final three games of the regular season with four against Kansas (11/12), three at Iowa State (11/19) and a season-high six versus Oklahoma (11/26) โฆ was only one tackle shy of his career high in the win over the Sooners โฆ closed the season with three tackles in the TaxAct Texas Bowl win over Ole Miss โฆ AWARDS AND HONORS: garnered honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades by the conference coaches ...ย recognized on the Academic All-Big 12 second team for his work in the classroom ... SENIOR DECISION: elected to return to the Red Raiders for a super senior season in 2023 as part of the extra year of eligibility afforded due to the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
2021 SEASON (JUNIOR)
Put together strong debut as one of Texas Techโs most reliable members in the secondary during debut season โฆ appeared in all 13 games overall, including 12 starts at cornerback โฆ totaled 38 tackles (30 solo) from the secondary, including 1.5 that went for a loss โฆ ranked second on the team with 10 pass breakups, one fewer than team leader DaMarcus Fields โฆ set career highs for most tackles and passes defended thus far in his career โฆ had at least two tackles in 11 of 13 games overall โฆ recorded a pass breakup in eight different games as well โฆ led the team with 836 snaps defensively according to Pro Football Focus โฆ credited with 95 snaps on special teams with 39 on punt return and 56 on field goal block โฆ SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: began his Red Raider career with two tackles and a pass breakup in the come-from-behind win over Houston (9/4) โฆ made his first start of the season the next week with three tackles and another pass breakup versus Stephen F. Austin (9/11) โฆ closed non-conference play with four stops and a season-high two pass breakups against Florida International (9/18) โฆ combined for five tackles over the first four games of Big 12 play with two stops at both Texas (9/25) and West Virginia (10/2) and another versus TCU (10/9) โฆ had two pass breakups during that stretch, both of which that came at Kansas (10/16) โฆ posted three tackles against both Kansas State (10/23) and at Oklahoma (10/30) โฆ shared a tackle for loss versus the Wildcats to go along with a pass breakup โฆ notched four tackles in the win over Iowa State, including one that went for a seven-yard loss โฆ set a career high with seven tackles against Iowa State (11/20) โฆ the Cyclones started a three-game streak to end the year with a pass breakup in each contest โฆ closed the regular season with two stops at Baylor (11/27) โฆ credited with five tackles in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl win over Mississippi State (12/28) โฆ AWARDS AND HONORS: honorable mention All-Big 12 selection by the conference coaches.
PRIOR TO TEXAS TECH
Transferred to Texas Tech following three seasons at UCLA โฆ arrived at Texas Tech with three full seasons of eligibility remaining โฆ appeared in 22 games over his three seasons at UCLA, totaling 42 tackles (36 solo) with three pass breakups during that span โฆ made eight starts during his UCLA tenure, all of which came over the final nine games of his 2019 redshirt freshman season โฆ all eight of those starts came during Pac-12 play โฆ recorded 11 multi-tackle games during his UCLA career with six contests of four or more stops โฆ 2020 SEASON (SOPHOMORE): appeared in six games during the COVID-shortened season โฆ credited with nine tackles (six solo) to go along with a pass breakup โฆ listed with two tackles in four different games โ at Oregon (11/21), at Arizona State (12/5) and at home versus both USC (12/12) and Stanford (12/19) โฆ broke up his lone pass of the season in the crosstown rivalry game against the Trojans โฆ 2019 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN): closed the 2019 season with 33 tackles (30 solo) and two pass breakups while playing in all 12 games, including eight starts โฆ had at least two tackles in seven games overall and four or more stops six times โฆ finished tied for eighth on the team with his 33 tackles โฆ best performance of the season came at Washington State (9/21) with a career-high six tackles and his first career pass breakup โฆ marked the first game of his career with a tackle โฆ added four tackles the next week at Arizona (9/28) and then five stops two weeks later at Oregon State (10/5) โฆ final pass breakup of the season came versus the Beavers โฆ added five tackles again later in the season against both Arizona State (10/26) and at USC (11/23) โฆ posted four tackles versus Colorado (11/2) and two at Utah (11/16) before closing the season with one takedown against Cal (11/30) โฆ tabbed to the Athletic Directorโs Honor Roll for the spring 2020 semester โฆ 2018 SEASON (FRESHMAN): redshirt season โฆ saw action early in the season in non-conference play against Cincinnati (9/1), Oklahoma (9/8) and Fresno State (9/15) and then later in the year versus Arizona State (11/10).
ย
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Whitehaven High School in his hometown of Memphis, Tenn. โฆ considered one of the top high school prospects coming out of Tennessee before deciding to move to California โฆ helped lead Whitehaven to a perfect 15-0 record as a junior in 2016 and the Class 6A state title โฆ credited with 64 tackles, including four for a loss, and six interceptions as a senior โฆ totaled 44 tackles and three interceptions as a junior โฆ three-star prospect according to Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports โฆ listed as the No. 28 recruit in the state of Tennessee and the No. 85 cornerback prospect nationally by 247Sports โฆ was the No. 17 recruit in Tennessee and No. 14 cornerback in the country by Rivals โฆ ESPN listed him as the No. 24 recruit in the state and No. 53 cornerback for the 2018 class โฆ chose to attend UCLA over offers from Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Memphis, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
ย
PERSONAL
Rayshad Williams โฆ son of Carol and Raymond Williams โฆ has two brothers and a sister โฆ considers Jalen Ramsey and Troy Polamalu as two famous athletes he most admires... earned bachelor's degree in university studies from Texas Tech, December 2022 ... currently seeking a graduate degree in interdisciplinary studies.
Thursday, September 24
Tuesday, September 22
Tuesday, September 22
Tuesday, September 22
