Courtesy of the New England Patriots
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel has announced the first three members of his 2025 coaching staff with the hiring of Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator, Terrell Williams as defensive coordinator, and the return of Jeremy Springer as special teams coordinator. Terrell Williams was the Defensive line coach in HBCU football before becoming an NFL coach. He was the defensive line coach for North Carolina A&T from 1999-2001 where he tutored Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager Brad Holmes, then a defensive tackle for the Aggies.
About Terrell Williams
Williams joins Mike Vrabel’s staff as the New England Patriots defensive coordinator after spending six seasons on his staff in Tennessee. Williams has 27 years of coaching experience. His NFL coaching career started in 2012 as the defensive line coach with the Oakland Raiders (2012-14). He then spent three seasons (2015-17) as the defensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins before Vrabel hired him to be his defensive line coach in 2018. After five seasons as the defensive line coach for the Titans, Vrabel promoted him to assistant head coach/defensive line coach in 2023. Last year, Williams was the run game coordinator/defensive line coach for the Detroit Lions (2024).
Williams coaching career began in 1998 at Fort Scott Community College (1998). His collegiate coaching career included stops at North Carolina A&T (1999-01), Led by 11th-year head coach Bill Hayes, the Aggies compiled an overall record of 11–2 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the MEAC title in 1999, the third HBCU national title for the Aggies.Youngstown State (2002-03), Akron (2004-05), Purdue (2006-09) and Texas A&M (2010-11) before joining the Raiders in 2012.
From 2018-23, Williams contributed to defensive units that ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed during that span. In 2022, Williams helped the Titans finish first in the NFL in rushing defense with an average of 76.9 rushing yards allowed per game.
A native of Los Angeles, California, Williams played college football as a nose guard at East Carolina and helped them earn a Liberty Bowl victory over Stanford in 1995.