Meet the 2024 New Orleans Saints coaches: Keith Williams

Williams is entering his first season with the Saints

Jul 12, 2024 at 10:00 AM

Keith Williams enters his first season with the New Orleans Saints, where he will tutor the team's wideouts after spending the previous three seasons on the Baltimore Ravens offensive coaching staff. Prior to joining the Ravens in 2021, the Stockton, Calif. native came to the National Football League having 18 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level, while also working as a personal wide receivers coach for a number of top NFL wideouts, including All-Pros Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill.

Keith Williams

Wide Receivers

In his three years with the Ravens, Williams served as assistant wide receivers coach in 2023 and as the team's pass game specialist from 2021-22, working with the wideouts.

In 2023, Williams worked with Ravens Wide Receivers Coach Greg Lewis to tutor a unit that contributed to Baltimore ranking fourth in the NFL in scoring (28.4 ppg.) and sixth in total offense (370.4 ypg.). Zay Flowers, the club's first round pick, set rookie franchise marks in catches (77) and receiving yards (858), adding six total touchdowns (five receiving and one rushing).

In 2022, Williams helped guide WR Devin Duvernay to career-bests in receptions (37), receiving yards (407) and receiving touchdowns (3), while Demarcus Robinson also finished with a career-best 48 catches. In 2021, Williams contributed to scheming a passing attack that made the league's biggest improvement (+61.8 ypg.) from 2020 with Marquise Brown enjoying a breakout campaign with 91 receptions for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns.

Prior to his first professional experience as wide receivers coach of the AAF's San Antonio franchise in 2019, Williams mentored wide receivers for 18 years at the college level, including time with Nebraska (2015-17) and at Tulane (2012-14).

Mentoring the Cornhuskers' wide receivers under Head Coach Mike Riley, Nebraska's wideouts flourished under Williams' leadership upon arrival in 2015, with the group combining for more than 200 receptions, nearly 2,800 yards and 23 touchdowns. Nebraska ranked in the Top three in the Big Ten Conference in passing offense, scoring offense, total offense and third-down conversions.

During his tenure at Tulane, Williams garnered impressive production out of the Green Wave's wideouts. In 2013, Tulane's wide receivers combined for 156 receptions, totaling 1,877 yards (12.0 avg.) and 18 touchdowns, as the team had its first winning record en route to their first bowl game since 2002. In his first season uptown in 2012, the Green Wave's receiving corps combined for 186 receptions, 2,656 receiving yards and 19 touchdown grabs. He mentored Ryan Grant, who was later selected by Washington in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, to a conference-high 1,149 receiving yards.

Williams tutored the wideouts at Fresno State from 2009-11, where he guided three of his wideouts (former Saint Jalen Saunders – 2011, Jamel Hamler – 2010 & Seyi Ajirotutu – 2009) to All-Western Athletic Conference honors. The Bulldogs made two bowl appearances (2009-10) in Williams's three seasons.

From 2005-08, Williams received valuable experience as offensive coordinator at San Jose City College, in addition to coaching wide receivers. From 2001-04, he served as wide receivers coach at San Jose State. In 2001 under his mentoring, Edell Shepherd set Spartans single-season records in receptions (83 – surpassed), receiving yards (1,500 – stands) and touchdown grabs (14 – surpassed). He started his coaching career as a wide receivers coach and math teacher at Brookside Christian (Stockton, Calif.) High School from 1997-99, moving to the college ranks in 2000 at Solano (Fairfield, Calif.) Community College.

Williams played wideout for San Diego State from 1991-93, including the 1991 Freedom Bowl team, while also competing on the the Aztecs' track & field team, finishing with a bronze medal (10.31) in the 100M at the Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He earned his bachelor's degree in public administration in 1996.

Following his college career, Williams signed an NFL rookie free agent contract with Washington in 1994, before playing for the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League of American Football in the spring of 1995 and then the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League from 1995-96.

Born in Lima, Ohio, Williams attended Tokay (Lodi, Calif.) High School, where he excelled in football (wide receiver and safety), basketball and track & field, earning All-San Joaquin County Section honors in both football and track. He holds the 100M (10.44) and 200M (21.2) records at Tokay. Williams and his wife, Ayana, have a son, Keyan, who played wide receiver at Ball State, Nebraska and Fresno State and is a graduate assistant at the University of Missouri, and a daughter, Kaya, who played soccer at Jacksonville University and transferred to Lamar University, for whom she currently competes.

PLAYING CAREER: San Diego State, 1991-93; Frankfurt Galaxy (WLAF) 1995; Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL), 1995-96.

COACHING CAREER: Brookside Christian High School, 1997-99; Solano Community College, 2000; San Jose State, 2001-04; San Jose City College, 2005-08; Fresno State, 2009-11; Tulane, 2012-14; Nebraska, 2015-17; San Antonio Commanders (AAF), 2019; Baltimore Ravens, 2021-23; New Orleans Saints, 2024-.