FAYETTEVILLE — New Arkansas football defensive coordinator Travis Williams was formally introduced at a news conference Monday.
Williams signed a three-year contract worth a starting annual salary of $1.1 million and that includes a no-compete clause that prohibits him from taking another assistant coaching job in the SEC. His salary will increase by $75,000 each year to $1.25 million for the 2025 season.
Arkansas also agreed to pay $80,000 to buy out his contract at Central Florida.
Sam Pittman, the Razorbacks’ third-year head coach, highlighted Williams’ coaching mentors Gene Chizik, Will Muschamp and Kevin Steele, and his experience in the SEC.
Williams, 39, comes to Arkansas after two seasons in the same role at UCF. He spent seven seasons in various assistant roles at his alma mater Auburn from 2014-20, including as a co-defensive coordinator the final two years.
“I went out and interviewed several guys and this was a home-run hire, in my opinion,” Pittman said. “I’m very excited to have him.”
Pittman said he interviewed Williams last Wednesday in Tampa, Fla., on the same day he made a recruiting trip to Baltimore and picked up new tight ends coach Morgan Turner in Miami. Williams was one of several coaches who Pittman said he interviewed "face to face."
“The thing that hit me about him was…it became what kind of man, what kind of recruiter,” Pittman said. “We need a recruiter at that position — I think a good man, one that understands that recruiting is work, and I just heard so many great things about him from guys I knew that had called me. When I got in front of him, I can remember calling (Arkansas athletics director) Hunter Yurachek and saying, 'I found him.' There was no doubt in my mind. I said, ‘This is the guy. This is the guy that we need.’”
Williams said he is excited to get back to the SEC, where he spent 15 seasons as a player, graduate assistant or full-time assistant at Auburn. He was an honorable mention All-America linebacker in 2004 when the Tigers were undefeated, but were left out of the BCS National Championship Game. He was a graduate assistant when Auburn won the national championship in 2010.
Williams grew up in Columbia, S.C., home of the SEC’s South Carolina Gamecocks.
“It was very important, just understanding the SEC,” Williams said. “I like the competition, recruiting, football — everything. So it was just important to get back and just understanding the landscape, understanding what it takes, understanding the type of players you need to be successful in the SEC. That was a big selling point."
Pittman described Williams’ defenses as “ultra aggressive” with multiple looks and defensive fronts, including four down linemen. That was a trait Pittman said last week he was seeking in a coordinator.
“We’re going to play intimidating defense,” Williams said. “You’re going to see the guys play hard.
“One of the best things you can get from an opposing coach is, ‘Man, your guys play hard.’ So when you watch us, we’re going to play hard, we’re going to play physical. We’re going to have that mental and physical toughness that you need to play. We’re going to get our tails to the ball, and it’s going to be sound. It’s going to be some sound defense.”
UCF ranks 39th nationally in scoring defense (23.2 points per game) and 71st in total defense (382.6 yards per game) this season. The Knights also rank fifth in red-zone defense with a stop rate of 31.5% in 54 attempts.
The Razorbacks rank 90th in scoring defense (28.8) and 123rd in total defense (453.3) ahead of their Dec. 28 game against Kansas at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
Williams replaces former Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom, who was hired as head coach at UNLV on Dec. 6. Pittman said Michael Scherer, the Razorbacks’ second-year linebackers coach, will call plays during the Kansas game.
On Monday, Williams met Arkansas’ defensive players during a weight-lifting session and watched practice.
“I’m kind of up to date on what they ran last year, and we’ll be a little different,” Williams said. “You look at it and kind of see the personnel. It’s going to be better for me watching them at practice, watching the guys move around and evaluate the guys, just the movement skills and different things like that, so you can see what you have and what you need. That’s what I’m going to be doing today.”