Addison Williams promoted to defensive coordinator

Gus Malzahn didn't have to look far for his next defensive coordinator.

About 24 hours after the news broke Travis Williams was departing for the same position at Arkansas, Malzahn announced the promotion of Addison Williams who had been working as UCF's cornerbacks coach the past two seasons. Last summer, he added the title of assistant head coach.

"I told you I was going to work quick with the defensive coordinator and that's what I did," Malzahn told the team in a video posted by UCF Football. "I was on the phone a lot last night and really feel like we got one of the defensive coordinators in all of college football for you."

Cheers erupted as Williams' picture was displayed on the screen.

"I'm very blessed to be in this position," Williams told the team in the same video. "I definitely appreciate Coach Malzahn for allowing me to have this opportunity. (To the football team), you know I've got your best interests. I'm ready to get to work."

Williams, a former defensive coordinator at Tusculum and Furman, has been highly regarded as a rising star in the coaching profession. He was coaching safeties at Coastal Carolina in 2020 prior to joining Malzahn's staff in Orlando.

During the 2019 season, Williams shadowed Malzahn at Auburn as an analyst and assistant to the head coach. In an interview last year, Williams talked about how pivotal that year was for him.

"The biggest thing from a learning standpoint was just seeing football from a different perspective," Williams said. "I had played defensive back and I've coached on defense every year that I've been in it, so just seeing it and being in the meeting room with the (offensive) guys. It wasn't so much game day, it was throughout the week seeing the different intricate things that they studied on offense about the defense. Then another thing was just really understanding more about pass protection. That was really huge for me."

Williams, a native of Atlanta, graduated from South Carolina. His coaching career began there as a student assistant (2010)and then a defensive graduate assistant for the 2011-12 seasons. He spent four seasons overall at Tusculum (2013-16) and two seasons at Furman (2017-18).

On the recruiting front, Williams has been instrumental with many of the defensive commits.