Thomas Williams ( American football ) Thomas Ray Williams ( born December 25 , 1984 ) is an American football linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft . He played college football at Southern California . Williams has been a member of the Seattle Seahawks , New England Patriots , Buffalo Bills , and Carolina Panthers . Early years . Williams played high school football at Vacaville High School . When it came to deciding where to attend college , his final choices were University of Notre Dame and the University of Southern California . Finding them equals in many areas ; Williams decided on USC due in part to the diversity of the Los Angeles area as well as the career networking , as he was uncertain he would be able to eventually move on to the NFL . College career . Williams entered USC in the 2003 recruiting class that included Reggie Bush and LenDale White . Williams started 14 games at 3 different positions ( including fullback ) while playing college football at USC . He was all - Pac - 10 honorable mention in 2007 and was invited to the East West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl . Williams career stats include , 74 tackles , 1 sack , 3 fumbles forced , 5 passes defensed , 5 tackles for loss , 3 interceptions , and 37 interception return yards . In 2007 Williams had 56 tackles . He had 6 tackles in the 2008 Rose Bowl . During his time with the Trojans , Williams received guidance and feedback from veteran linebackers such as Lofa Tatupu , Matt Grootegoed , Dallas Sartz , Collin Ashton , and Oscar Lua . In order to see more playing time against the more experienced linebackers ahead of him , Williams focused and excelled at special teams play , particularly kickoff coverage . During his redshirt freshman year he was an active member of the 2004 National Championship team , where he played behind Sartz at the strong - side spot . Early in the 2004 season , Williams was nicknamed " The Hitman " by coach Pete Carroll for his performance on special teams ; the name stuck with him for his career at USC . During the 2005 season , Williams again backed up Sartz , but moved into the starting lineup for six games after Sartz suffered a shoulder injury ; he also started twice in the middle and learned the weak - side responsibilities as well . During the 2006 season , when the Trojans fullbacks were decimated by injury , members of the offense such as Ryan Kalil , Sam Baker , and John David Booty , asked him to switch positions to fullback , a position he had played in high school . Thus Williams started twice at fullback and played several games that season on both offense and defense . Over the years , Williams played all three linebacker positions . Williams teammates voted him the team ' s most inspirational player in the 2007 season ; he finished the regular season as the third - leading tackler among linebackers with 3½ tackles for losses , an interception and two forced fumbles on a defense that ranked second nationally . Thomas R . Williams graduated from USC in May 2008 with a degree in sociology . Professional career . Pre - draft . Williams was invited to the NFL Combine . Jacksonville Jaguars . Williams was selected 155th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2008 NFL draft ; he was the first person from his high school to be drafted in the NFL since Vince Newsome was drafted 97th overall in the 1983 . Williams signed a four - year contract with the Jaguars . He played in six games for the Jaguars in 2008 , recording one tackle . He was waived on September 5 , 2009 . Seattle Seahawks . Williams was signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad on September 8 , 2009 . He was released on September 30 . New England Patriots . Williams was signed to the New England Patriots practice squad on November 10 , 2009 . He was promoted to the Patriots ' active roster on January 6 , 2010 , in advance of their playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens , for which he was inactive . He was waived during final cuts on September 4 , 2010 . Buffalo Bills . Williams was signed to the Buffalo Bills practice squad on October 12 , 2010 and later added to the active roster . Williams played in two games for the Bills before being waived on December 11 , 2010 . Carolina Panthers . Williams was signed to the Carolina Panthers practice squad on December 15 , 2010 , and was released on March 13 , 2012 . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . On July 26 , 2012 , Williams was signed to a 2 - year deal by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers