Morgan State coach excited for new Minnesota Viking Elijah Williams

Tuesday turned out to be a great day for Morgan State football and head coach Damon Wilson as former Bear Elijah Williams beat the odds as a rookie camp invitee to be included on the Minnesota Vikings’ 53-man roster. Wilson was thrilled that his former player was in the running to make the roster at Monday’s MEAC Coaches’ Conference.

“I’m really glad that he’s getting everything he deserves. I had an opportunity to go see him Friday,” Wilson said of the Vikings’ preseason matchup with the Tennessee Titans. “I flew out to Tennessee to see him play the last preseason game. Every coach I talked to on the Vikings staff as well as the Titans staff, all of them talked about Elijah Williams and the brand of football he brought to that locker room and you know how well he’s representing our conference.”

“This guy’s been a pro. He’s been a pro since his junior year and he continued to excel,” Wilson continued. “He’s in a great defensive line room right now with the Minnesota Vikings, so I’m excited for him.”

Williams, a 6’3, 270-lb. Defensive lineman from Jersey City, New Jersey, was the 2024 MEAC defensive player of the year for the Bears, recording 15 tackles for loss and a career-high 11 sacks. He ended his Morgan State career with 31 sacks, most in program history.

Wilson expressed gratitude for Williams’ loyalty to the program, staying all four years and still achieving his dream of playing in the NFL.

“He’s a graduate of Morgan State, was able to leave as all-time sack leader. He loves this university,” Wilson said. “It’s also hats off to my coaching staff for keeping a guy like that in the program because he had an opportunity to go other places as well. But he stuck it out here and walked out here with his degree. So, I’m really excited about what he’s doing right now.”