BATON ROUGE – Kyle Williams, a former All-America defensive tackle at LSU, has been named defensive line coach for the Tigers, head coach Brian Kelly announced.
Williams, who spent 13 years in the NFL with Buffalo Bills, joins the Tigers after five seasons as the defensive coordinator at Ruston High School. Williams will coach the interior defensive line for the Tigers.
“Kyle brings an impressive resume to our staff,” Kelly said. “He’s a quality individual with high character. He’s a great husband and father and really someone you want recruiting student-athletes here to LSU. We are really excited about his addition to our staff.”
[As a player for the Tigers](https://lsusports.net/roster/kyle-williams/), Williams served as the anchor of a defense that ranked among the nation’s best during his four seasons at LSU. Williams twice earned All-SEC honors and was named first-team All-America as a senior in 2005.
As a sophomore in 2003, Williams started the final eight games of the season for the Tigers, helping LSU to a 13-1 record and a victory over Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship. LSU’s 2003 defense led the nation in total yards allowed per game (252.0) and points allowed per contest (11.0).
He capped his career with the Tigers starting 33 consecutive games and with 140 tackles, 26 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks. With Williams in the starting lineup, LSU went 28-5 and advanced to the SEC Championship Game twice, winning the league title in 2003 and later claiming the BCS National Championship.
Williams finished his LSU career in 2005, helping the Tigers to an 11-2 overall mark and a berth in the SEC Championship Game. He was named permanent team captain for the 2005 squad.
He was selected in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Bills and went on to become one of the most adored players in franchise history. He started 178 games during his 13-year career with Buffalo, earning All-Pro honors six times. During his career with the Bills, he recorded 609 tackles, 103 tackles for loss and 48.5 sacks.
He retired from the NFL following the 2018 season. After his retirement from the NFL, Williams served as defensive coordinator at Ruston High School from 2000-2024, helping the Bearcats to the state title in 2023 followed by a runner-up finish in 2024.
Williams, a native of Ruston, is a 2020 graduate of Louisiana Tech. He and his wife Jill have five children.