Hardmon, Williams Return on Troy Football Coaching Staff

TROY, Alabama – Bam Hardmon and Cornelius Williams are both returning for their fifth seasons on the Troy football coaching staff, head coach Chip Lindsey announced Wednesday. Hardmon will continue his role on the defensive side of the ball and Williams on the offensive side; Lindsey will announce full staff roles at a later date.

"Bam and Cornelius have both done outstanding jobs during their careers at Troy, and we're excited to have them on the staff moving forward," Lindsey said. "The guys in their position rooms have been among the best in the Sun Belt year in and year out. The success here at Troy the last three years is undeniable, and they both played major roles in building that foundation."

Under their leadership, Troy has won 31 games over the last three seasons with three bowl victories. The Trojans' win total ties the best three-year stretch in school history while the three consecutive 10-win seasons in a first for Troy.

Hardmon, who coached Troy's inside linebackers and bandits last season, was a Broyles Award nominee in 2018; the award is presented annually to the nation's top assistant coach. In what has turned into an impressive streak, Troy's bandit has been named to the All-Sun Belt First Team in each of Hardmon's four seasons with Rashad Dillard earning Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2016.

Additionally, 11 of Hardmon's players have earned All-Sun Belt honors in his four seasons with the Trojans and this past year former walk-on linebacker Carlton Martial earned Freshman All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America, The Athletic and USA Today.

In 2018, the Trojans ranked third nationally in turnovers gained, 10^thin sacks and 16^thin tackles for loss. Since the start of the 2016 season, Troy ranks fifth nationally forcing a sack, tackle for loss or turnover on 14.2 percent of its opponent snaps. Over that same time period, Troy leads the country with 87 forced turnovers.

In addition to mentoring Martial to an All-America season, Hardmon was instrumental in developing another former walk-on as Hunter Reese was twice named to the All-Sun Belt First Team from the bandit position.

Williams, a four-time Sun Belt champion as a player for the Trojans, has coached Troy's receivers since returning to his alma mater prior to the 2015 season. Since that time, Troy receivers have earned nine All-Sun Belt honors including a pair of first team selections by Emanuel Thompson and most recently Damion Willis.

Thompson led the Sun Belt with 80 receptions in 2016 -- the second most in a season in Troy history -- and finished third with 820 receiving yards. Deondre Douglas, who would earn three All-Sun Belt honors in his career, tied for third with 60 catches and 740 yards; Douglas' 60 catches without a drop led all players in the country.

In 2018, Willis finished with the second most receiving yards in a game in school history after a 10-catch, 213-yard performance against Louisiana and ranked ninth nationally with seven catches of 40-plus yards despite missing a pair of games.

Hardmon
Hardmon coached Troy's defensive line his first three seasons and the Trojans continually turned out one of the top defensive fronts in the Sun Belt.

In 2017, Troy finished fourth nationally with a school record 112 tackles for loss (third with 8.62 per game), while also finishing seventh with 3.23 sacks per game. Former walk-on Hunter Reese would go on to earn First Team All-Sun Belt honors.

Troy led the nation in red zone defense in 2017 as the Trojans set a school record for wins (FBS), won the Sun Belt Championship and ended LSU's 49-game non-conference home winning streak.

Additionally, Troy became just the sixth team in the previous eight seasons to not allow a play of 50 or more yards over the course of a season. The Trojans established a new school record as they held eight opponents under the 100-yard rushing mark. Troy finished the season having allowed just 18.5 points, 105.3 rushing yards and 336.5 total yards per game.

Troy's defensive line continued its upward trend in Hardmon's second season as the Trojans finished third in the Sun Belt in sacks and second in tackles for loss.

Defensive end Rashad Dillard was named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2016; Troy's first player to win the award since DeMarcus Ware in 2004. Troy finished the 2016 season 10-3 with a victory in the Dollar General Bowl, the first top-25 ranking in school and Sun Belt Conference history and the best win-improvement in the country.

In his first season, Hardmon helped transform the Troy defense into one of the top units in the Sun Belt Conference and the country. The Trojans finished the 2015 season with the second-best turnaround nationally in opponent 3rd-down percentage, the fourth-best turnaround in yards per play allowed, the fifth-best improvement in tackles for loss per game and 16th-best improvement in total defense.

Bandit Tyler Roberts earned first team All-Sun Belt honors and finished sixth nationally with 1.55 tackles for loss per game, while ranking 41st nationally with 0.64 sacks per game.

Hardmon joined the Troy staff after two seasons as the defensive line coach at Idaho. While with the Vandals, Hardmon helped transform defensive tackle Quayshawne Buckley into a force behind the line of scrimmage.

The native of Jacksonville, Fla., was a four-year letterwinner as a linebacker at Florida and was the team's captain in 2002 as a senior. During that season, Hardmon was named second team All-SEC and helped lead the Gators to the Outback Bowl. Hardmon not only excelled on the field but also off it as well. He was a three-time Academic All-SEC honoree and won the Betty Capaldi GPA Award. He ranked second in the SEC and fourth in the nation in tackles and set a Florida single-season tackle record. Hardmon also won Florida's coveted Ferguson Leadership award in 2002.

Hardmon spent the 2003-06 seasons on three NFL rosters: the Miami Dolphins (2003), the Seattle Seahawks (2004) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2005). He also played three seasons in NFL Europe, winning a World Bowl title in 2007 with Hamburg.

Hardmon returned to football in 2009 after two years in the private business sector. He worked as the co-owner of S & S Trucking in Jacksonville, Fla., while also establishing a very successful real estate career.

He spent three seasons (2009-11) as a graduate assistant at Illinois, including the final two years under Vic Koenning, who is Troy's defensive coordinator.

In 2011, Hardmon helped tutor a defensive line that broke the school record with 41 sacks and ranked fourth nationally in tackles for loss and sixth nationally in sacks. Defensive end Whitney Mercilus had a breakout year, earning consensus first team All-America honors after leading the nation in sacks and forced fumbles. Mercilus was drafted in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.

Hardmon helped guide a budding star in 2010 in defensive tackle Corey Liuget, who was a first-round pick of the San Diego Chargers in the 2011 NFL Draft. Liuget and Akeem Spence combined for 108 tackles, the most by a pair of Illini defensive tackles since 1993, and Phil Steele and Rivals.com named Spence a Freshman All-American.

Prior to his stint at Idaho, Hardmon served as the special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Charleston Southern.

Hardmon graduated from the University of Florida in 2003 with a degree in sociology and earned his master's degree in organizational leadership from the University of Illinoisin 2011. He is married to the former Danerica Wright and the couple has one son, Bryson.

Williams
In his first season at Troy, the offense improved its per-game averages in scoring (6.1) and passing yards (42.0), in passing touchdowns (9), total offensive touchdowns (5), penalty yards per game (-2.2), sacks allowed (-5), red zone scoring (8 percent), first quarter scoring (57) and third quarter scoring (34).

Additionally, Teddy Ruben earned second team All-Sun Belt honors after ranking second in the league in touchdown receptions and third in receiving yards.

The Trojans began to click offensively as the season progressed as they averaged 36.0 points over the final six games of the season with three 40-point games. Troy scored 144 points over a three-game stretch against New Mexico State, Appalachian State and ULM -- the most in a three-game period by a Troy squad since 1993.

Neal Brown, who was an assistant coach at Troy from 2006-09, coached Williams throughout his career at Troy. Williams was a four-year letterman for the Trojans and helped lead Troy to a combined 26-3 Sun Belt Conference record. He finished his Trojan career with 63 receptions for 764 yards and seven touchdowns.

Williams made his return to Troy after spending the previous two seasons as the wide receivers coach on Bill Clark's staffs at UAB (2014) and Jacksonville State (2013).

UAB averaged 33.2 points and 431.8 yards of total offense in Williams' lone season coaching the Blazers, both totals were good for fourth in the offense-heavy Conference USA; wide receiver J.J. Nelson was a fifth round selection of the Arizona Cardinals in the 2015 NFL Draft. Williams and the Jacksonville State offense had similar success as the Gamecocks averaged 442.5 yards of total offense and 35.2 points per game, good for second in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Williams helped orchestrate a monumental turnaround at Jacksonville State as the Gamecocks went from a 6-5 team prior to his arrival to advancing to the FCS Quarterfinals. The Gamecocks, who upset No. 6 McNeese State in the second round of the playoffs, finished the season 11-4 and ranked No. 10 in the final The Sports Network FCS Top 25 Poll. Additionally, wide receiver Josh Barge earned freshman All-America honors following the season.

Prior to Jacksonville State, Williams coached the wide receivers at North Alabama in 2012 and Murray State in 2011. In 2011, Murray State led the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring offense at 37.1 points per game, total offense with 460.9 yards per game and passing offense with 308.6 yards per game.

Williams was an offensive graduate assistant coach at South Alabama in 2010, while Clark ran the South Alabama defense. In his only season with the Jaguars, he was part of a South Alabama offense that finished with a perfect 10-0 record and averaged 439 yards and 41.3 points per game.

A standout at Hoover High School, Williams helped lead the Buccaneers to four consecutive Alabama 6A state championships and a combined 56-3 record. He was named all-state his senior year after setting a school record with 77 receptions for 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was selected to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game and was ranked 16th in The Birmingham News' Super Seniors.
Williams graduated from Troy University in 2010 with a degree in sport and fitness management.

He is married to the former Kiley Miller from Little Rock, Ark., and the couple has two daughters, Ellis and Wynn, and one son, Maverick.

Troy University Athletics

Hardmon, Williams Return on Troy Football Coaching Staff

Players Mentioned

Deondre Douglas

Carlton Martial

Hunter Reese

Tyler Roberts

Emanuel Thompson

Damion Willis

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