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Former Hilltoppers basketball player Williams signs NFL contract with Raiders
(Logos: WKU Athletics, Las Vegas Raiders; Photo: Mike Cianciolo)

Former Hilltoppers basketball player Williams signs NFL contract with Raiders

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (BVM) — Carson Williams, who most recently played basketball as a member of the Western Kentucky University men’s basketball team this past season, will get a shot in the pros. However, his shot won’t come in the NBA or even in the sport of basketball, but in football and the NFL.

On Monday, the Las Vegas Raiders announced that they were signing Williams, a projected tight end, as a free agent. Though the practice has become more commonplace since former Los Angeles Chargers, then known as the San Diego Chargers, great tight end Antonio Gates made the move popular across the league, it is still a shock to see a team actually sign a college basketball player to a contract. Williams certainly has the athleticism to do well, however.

After opting out of the NIT Tournament to pursue his football dreams, Williams impressed In a private pro day at Western Kentucky University on April 1. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound basketball player posted some impressive numbers including running the 40-yard dash in 4.73 seconds, having a 38-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot-7 broad jump and repping 225-pounds on the bench 18 times.

Williams has proved he has the athletic ability to be a force in at least one sport. During his career at Owen County High School, Williams became one of the best players in Kentucky eventually being named the state’s Mr. Basketball as a senior in 2016 after averaging 26.3 points and 10.7 rebounds. During his career at Owen County, Williams would score 2,967 points and grab 1,671 rebounds, the fifth-highest total in Kentucky High School Athletic Association history.

Following his time at Owen County, Williams would join the Northern Kentucky Norse men’s basketball team where he would start 61 games across two seasons and help the team win its first Horizon League regular-season title in program history.

After transferring to WKU in the fall of 2018 and sitting out the 2018-19 season per NCAA transfer rules, Williams would become a crucial member of a Hilltoppers team that made back-to-back Conference USA Tournament championship game appearances. Over his two seasons on The Hill, Williams would play in 57 games, starting 56, and average 10.9 points, six rebounds and 1.4 assists.

Hilltoppers’ head basketball coach Rick Stansbury had high praise for Williams when announcing his player’s decision to pursue the NFL.

“If there’s a team guy, an ultimate team guy, it’s Carson Williams,” Stansbury said. “He’s the ultimate team guy. … He didn’t opt out, he didn’t walk away, none of that. It was all about us helping Carson doing what’s best for Carson right now.”

If Williams needs any inspiration, he doesn’t have to look far. New York Jets tight end George Fant also played basketball for the Hilltoppers, graduating after the 2015 season.

Though it may seem like a fad for college basketball players to go from the court to the gridiron, Williams is out to prove he is not part of a dying trend. With another former Hilltopper already proving it can be done, Williams’ goal is certainly within reach.