Chad Williams Returns: Bears Defense Reunites with Pro-Style Vision

CONWAY, Ark. — When Chad Williams steps onto the practice field, the air shifts.

There’s a sense of business, of purpose It’s a familiar energy for Central Arkansas football that has been conspicuously absent since Williams’ last stint with the Bears.

After a brief but eventful departure, Williams has returned to Conway as defensive coordinator, ready to reforge a unit that once thrived under his command.

Williams’ name carries weight among players and coaches. A Southern Miss Hall of Famer and six-year NFL veteran, he’s navigated the trenches with the likes of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, and brings a resume that resonates with today’s athletes.

“He’s seen it, he’s lived it, he’s done it,” said UCA coach Nathan Brown. “Not only did he have a great college career at Southern Miss, he goes and plays in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens. It’s pretty neat to have a guy with that kind of pedigree calling your defenses every single day.”

Williams’s return comes on the heels of Greg Stewart’s retirement, a move that left both a void and an opportunity in the Bears’ coaching staff. Brown wasted no time reaching out.

“With the retirement of Coach Stewart, he was the first call I made,” Brown said at Arkansas Online. “And he was ready to come back and run the show again. I’m excited to have Chad back and what he brings to the table.”

The last time Williams wore the headset in Conway, his defense led the Southland Conference, earning a top-eight national seed in the FCS playoffs in 2019.

“We were South Conference champs, had the top defense in the Southland,” Brown said.

The numbers tell the story. Williams’ defense was aggressive, unpredictable, but never undisciplined—a rare balance in college football.

This fall, fans should expect a fresh look. Williams favors a pro-style defense, built on creativity and complexity.

“He’s going to bring blitzes. He’s going to change the fronts. He’s going to do a lot of stimming and twisting with the front. He’s not going to let you get comfortable,” Brown said. But Williams’ brand isn’t chaos for chaos’s sake. “He tends to be very, very sound in what he’s calling. He’s not just going to blitz to blitz. He’s got a reason why he’s going to blitz. He’s got a reason why he’s going to run this coverage.”

The response from players has been immediate. Williams is known for demanding respect and attention to detail, raising the bar for the entire squad.

“They love playing for him,” Brown said. “They love the creativity that he brings. But I also think that they play extremely hard for him and he coaches them extremely hard. He holds them to an extremely high standard.”

The defensive line, in particular, looks poised to set the tone this season. Returning starters and key veterans will anchor the edges, while transfers, both former Division II standouts, add new firepower. Brown singled out a redshirt freshman who has already “turned heads” in camp, hinting at the possibility of a breakout star.

“That young man could make money one day playing this sport from defensive end,” Brown said, underscoring the program’s ability to develop future pros.

Inside, All-American caliber tackle Bradley Clark is joined by a disruptive local transfer from Northwest Missouri State that could command attention in the trenches.

At linebacker, Ashtyn Williams looks ready for a breakout year, with Brown predicting he could hit the 100-tackle mark. Depth comes from an Old Dominion transfer and a junior college standout, providing flexibility and competition at every spot.

The secondary is built on a mix of stability and upside. Preseason all-conference safety Dillon Williams headlines the group, with Brown calling him “an All-American type talent, “not afraid of anything, but also can defend about any speed guy he needs to.”

Replacing departed stars is never easy. The Bears have lost key contributors to graduation and the transfer portal, but history suggests the next great UCA defender may already be in the building.

“Is there a David Walker walking across that parking lot every day in practice right now? No, but there might be,” Brown said, referencing last year’s FCS National Defensive Player of the Year. “We didn’t know what David was two or three years ago either. You always work to develop these guys, turn them into something special.”

Williams’s coaching philosophy, forged in the NFL and honed at Southern Miss and UCA, centers on “making the complex simple.” He believes in building relationships as much as he does in building schemes.

As the Bears get ready for the 2025 season, expectations are measured but optimistic. The defense will be tested early and often, but with Williams back in command, there’s a quiet confidence running through camp.

“I have no doubt that there’s somebody special in that locker room that has yet to have his number called. And when the lights come on, let’s watch them go to work,” Brown said.

For UCA, the return of Chad Williams is more than a reunion, it’s a statement of intent. The Bears are, once again, in good hands.