Arkansas officially hires Travis Williams as defensive coordinator
The Arkansas Razorbacks officially filled their vacant defensive coordinator role with UCF defensive coordinator Travis Williams on Monday.
The move comes after former Razorback defensive coordinator Barry Odom left for the head coach job at UNLV on Dec. 6.
Williams spent the past two seasons calling the defense for the Knights. This season, his group was ranked No. 71 nationally in total defense, No. 39 in scoring defense, No. 58 in third down defense, No. 73 in passing yards allowed and No. 76 in rushing defense.
Last year, UCF won six of its last seven games and Williams’ defense allowed only 11.8 points per game across those final six wins of the season. The Knights averaged 8.1 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks in those six games — and finished the regular season ranked seventh nationally in pass efficiency defense (110.73) and 26th in tackles for loss (6.8 per game).
Also in 2021, Williams helped the UCF defense improve 97 spots in the NCAA team pass efficiency defense rankings compared to 2020, 86 spots in passing yards allowed (89.1 fewer per game in 2021) and 70 in total defense (122.5 fewer yards allowed per game in 2021).
Prior to his time at UCF, Williams was the linebackers coach for one season at Miami. Before that, he served as the co-defensive coordinator, linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator at Auburn, who finished top 17 in the nation in scoring defense under Williams in four of his last five seasons (2016-20).
A former linebacker at Auburn, Williams specializes in coaching that position. Williams played for the Atlanta Falcons during the 2006 and 2007 seasons before beginning his coaching career.
Here is his full coaching history:
~ Auburn, graduate assistant (2009-11)
~ Northern Iowa, linebackers (2012)
~ Creekside (GA) High School defensive coordinator (2013)
~ Auburn, defensive analyst (2014-15)
~ Auburn, linebackers (2016-18)
~ Auburn, co-DC/linebackers (2019-20)
~ Miami, linebackers (2021)
~ UCF, DC (2021-22)