He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he earned All-American honors.

Williams was born in St Louis, Missouri, into a family with three older sisters and one younger brother.

[4] Coming out of North Carolina, Williams was a projected first round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and analysts.

On March 26, 2013, Williams participated at North Carolina's pro day, along with Jonathan Cooper, Giovani Bernard, Brennan Williams, Travis Bond, Kevin Reddick, and nine other teammates, and opted to only perform positional drills for scouts and team representatives in attendance.

[5] Williams was ranked the fourth best defensive tackle prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, NFL analyst Mike Mayock, and Sports Illustrated (behind Sharrif Floyd, Sheldon Richardson, and Star Lotulelei).

On December 29, Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor bobbled a snap and Williams recovered it.

The Broncos finished the season with a 13-3 record, clinching an AFC West and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but lost to the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII.

[12] The Broncos won the game by a score of 24–10, giving Williams his first career championship title after defeating the Carolina Panthers.