Former Tulane Green Wave Standout Linebacker Tied for NFL Lead in This Stat
There have been some standout performances from former Tulane Green Wave football players in the NFL during the 2024 season.
Wide receiver Darnell Mooney has been excellent in his first season with the Atlanta Falcons. Kicker Cairo Santos continues to get the job done with the Chicago Bears, making 88.9 percent of his field goal attempts and 90 percent of his extra points.
However, there is only one former Tulane player that tops a statistical category in the league through five weeks; linebacker Dorian Williams of the Buffalo Bills.
A third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, he has taken over a prominent role in the team’s defense. As a rookie, he played only 211 snaps despite appearing in all 17 games and making two starts.
This year, through five games, all starts, Williams has already logged 249 snaps, as he is playing 75 percent of the defensive plays this season, up from only 20 percent last year.
He has been highly productive, taking full advantage of the opportunity presented to him. Through Week 5, he is tied for the league lead with 54 tackles, along with E.J. Speed of the Indianapolis Colts and Robert Spillane of the Las Vegas Raiders.
All tied up at the top of the tackles list. @Gatorade pic.twitter.com/ogmAB2LsQG
— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2024
Williams has recorded double-digit tackles in four consecutive games to go along with two tackles for loss and one quarterback hit. His stat line is rounded out by two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
His emergence has come at the perfect time as the Bills have seen major overturn at the linebacker position in recent years. Tyrel Dodson left in free agency this year, following Tremaine Edmunds’ departure in 2023. Veteran Matt Milano is also on injured reserve to start the season.
Williams being a tackling machine in the NFL isn’t something that surprises anyone who followed his career with the Green Wave.
In four seasons with the school, he racked up 312 combined tackles, 194 of which were solo and 10.5 sacks. He led the American Athletic Conference in solo and assisted tackles with 65 and 33 in 2020 and with 81 solos in 2022.
Williams also led the conference in tackles for loss with 17 in the 2020 campaign, as he was living in the opponent’s backfield.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.