Bringing a wealth of knowledge across college football, Jim Williams joined the Illinois Wesleyan coaching staff in the winter of 2024. The 2024 season marked his first as the Titans’ wide receivers coach.
In his first year on staff at Illinois Wesleyan, Williams coached Myles Kee to First Team All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin recognition. In addition to Kee, Williams mentored Jimmy Deacy to a breakout sophomore season in which the wideout was voted the team's Most Improved Player.
Over his career that has spanned more than two decades, Williams has held coaching positions at Independence Community College, Western State, Nebraska-Omaha, and most recently Illinois State.
He served as the Redbirds' special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinate from 2009 to 2011. Williams was the Redbirds’ offensive coordinator during the 2007 and 2008 seasons, while also guiding the ISU quarterbacks in 2008. From 2005-07, he worked with the tight ends and H-backs for three seasons, after serving as the running backs coach his first year at ISU.
Williams was instrumental in guiding the Illinois State offense to the nation's 18th-best per game rushing total (197.18 ypg) in 2008. One of Williams' mentees, wide receiver Eyad Salem, earned FirstTeam All-Valley Football Conference honors after he ranked tied for 31st in the nation in receptions per game (5.73 rpg) and 36th in receiving yards per game (76.64 ypg).
In his first season calling the plays for the Redbird offense (2007), ISU averaged 29.5 points and 402.8 yards of total offense per game. The Redbirds ranked No. 32 nationally in scoring offense and No. 33 in total offense. ISU relied on the rushing game and averaged 199.5 yards per contest, which was the No. 28 ground attack in the country.
A year earlier, Williams molded Dave Mordis into an all-conference fullback, one that paved the way for Pierre Rembert, who rushed for a school-record 1,743 yards in 2006.
In 2005, Williams mentored the top-blocking tight end in the league in Jonathan Denley, who went on to earn All-Valley Football Conference Honorable Mention honors. Combined with the fullbacks, Williams' crew helped lead the way for the conference's second-best rushing offense with 208.8 yards per game.
Prior to joining the ISU staff, Williams served three seasons as an assistant coach at then-NCAA Division II member Nebraska-Omaha and was the offensive coordinator during the 2003 season.
With Nebraska-Omaha, Williams coached the leading NCAA Division II rusher, Justin Kammrad, who finished third in the voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy, the NCAA Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.
Williams' Maverick offense ranked No. 6 nationally in rushing with 240.6 yards per game and No. 13 in total offense with 453.0 yards per contest. Including a playoff game in 2001, Williams coached three 1,000-yard rushers in his three seasons at UNO. Prior to his three-year stint at UNO, Williams worked one season as the running backs coach at Western State (Colo.). In the spring prior to leaving Western State, he served as the co-offensive coordinator.
He entered the college coaching ranks in 1998 as the offensive coordinator at Independence Community College. During his two years at ICC, Williams instructed the quarterbacks, running backs, tight ends and receivers.
The Altoona, Kan., native earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from New Mexico State in 1990, where he lettered two seasons, and obtained a bachelor of science degree in secondary education from Colorado State-Pueblo, formerly Southern Colorado, in 1994. Williams earned his master's degree in business administration from Canyon College in 2001.
Williams and his wife, Kristi, reside in Normal, Ill. and have three daughters, Madison, Samantha, and Megan.
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