Ian Williams ( American football ) Ian Williams ( born August 31 , 1989 ) is an American football nose tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was signed by the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2011 . He played college football at Notre Dame . Early years . Williams grew up in Altamonte Springs , Florida , and attended Lyman High School , where he played football for coach Bill Caughell . In his junior year , Ian was responsible for 83 tackles , 23 tackles for loss ( TFL ) , 12 hurries , 4 forced fumbles , 2 sacks , 4 fumble recoveries and 4 passes broken up , as the Greyhounds won their third straight 5A district title and beat Melbourne High School for Lyman ’ s first Florida playoff win in school history . Williams continued his dominance from the defensive tackle position in 2006 , recording over 40 tackles , 18 TFL , and 12 sacks . He was recognized as the 120th rated prep player nationally on ESPN 150 ’ s listing and 30th on the " South Florida Sun - Sentinel " list of top 50 Florida prospects . Williams was heavily recruited , receiving scholarship offers from Notre Dame as well as most of the top southern programs in the country , including the Alabama , Auburn , Clemson , Florida , Mississippi , and South Carolina . Before her death in 1995 , Ian ’ s maternal grandmother , Lily May Green , had told Ian ’ s mother , Natalie Williams that her grandson would one day play for the University of Notre Dame . Not wanting to influence his decision , Natalie waited until after Ian signed with Notre Dame to tell her son of his grandmother ’ s prescient forecast . College career . Freshman year . Recruited to play nose tackle in then - defensive coordinator Corwin Brown ' s 3 - 4 system , Williams played in all 12 games his freshman year , starting two . He totaled 45 tackles , 19 solo stops , 1 . 5 TFL on the year and was named a Freshman All - American . His 45 tackles were the third most for any freshman defensive lineman in Notre Dame history . He ranked sixth on the team in tackles and was the only player ranked in the top 12 in tackles on the team who did not start at least four games . Sophomore year . Williams appeared in all 13 games for the Irish , making 7 starts . He had 40 total tackles including 2 TFL , in addition to a pass break up . Williams anchored the defense against Pittsburgh amassing 6 tackles and 2 TFL . He recorded 7 tackles against Navy , 8 against Syracuse , and 3 tackles and a pass break up against the USC Trojans . Junior year . The Irish made a switch to the 4 - 3 defense under Jon Tenuta . Williams shifted from a 3 - 4 nose tackle to a 4 - 3 defensive tackle . Williams played in all 12 games , starting 8 . He recorded 39 tackles , 6 TFL , a pass breakup and his first career interception . Senior year . New Irish defensive coordinator , Bob Diaco , switched the defense back to a 3 - 4 scheme . Williams thrived in a return to his natural position at nose tackle , anchoring the middle of the Irish defensive front and recording 37 tackles , 2 sacks and an interception in 7 . 5 games . Williams suffered an MCL sprain against Navy on October 23 , 2010 . The injury did not require surgery , but it did force Williams to miss the last four games of his senior season . Prior to the injury , he was one of only two players to appear in every game of his four year Notre Dame career ( Kerry Neal is the other ) . Williams returned to practice in early December healthy enough to play for Notre Dame in the Hyundai Sun Bowl against the University of Miami Hurricanes on December 31 , 2010 . Professional career . San Francisco 49ers . Williams was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent following the 2011 NFL Draft on July 25 , 2011 . On March 11 , 2013 , Williams signed a two - year contract extension with the 49ers .