Justin Williamson enters his third season on the Northwestern State coaching staff, continuing to coach linebackers and serve as the staff's recruiting coordinator.
Williamson's second season in Natchitoches saw him turn his entire focus to coaching linebackers after spending his first season also serving as the linebackers coach and the special teams coordinator.
In 2025, Williamson helped turn junior college transfer Fernando Washington into the team's leading tackler and the No. 15 stopper in the Southland Conference.
Additionally, the Demons saw statistical improvement in first downs, total yards, points, yards per game and third-down defense from his first season on staff.
Williamson's first linebacker group at Northwestern produced one of Northwestern’s first All-Americans since 2021 in junior Blake Gotcher, whose 162 tackles led the nation and landed him three All-American honors and a spot among the Buck Buchanan Award finalists.
Williamson came to Natchitoches with head coach Blaine McCorkle, having spent one season on McCorkle’s Belhaven staff as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach in 2023.
In his lone season at Belhaven, Williamson tutored first-team All-USA South Conference linebacker Wyatt Beck, who recorded 49 tackles (11.5 for loss) and two sacks as the Blazers collected the program’s first conference championship.
Williamson also coached first-team all-conference and all-region punter Andrew Norton, who averaged nearly 43 yards per boot and had four 50-yard or longer punts, including a career-long 68-yarder in a win against Lyon College.
Ahead of coming to Belhaven, Williamson spent two seasons as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Bridgewater College, a Division III program in Bridgewater, Virginia.
Under Williamson, the Eagles went 9-1 in 2022 and led the Old Dominion Athletic Conference with 31 sacks. In two seasons at Bridgewater, Williamson coached three ODAC all-conference honorees.
Williamson began his coaching career at Norfolk State, spending four seasons with the Spartans — the final three as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. He started his Norfolk State career as the tight ends coach in 2017.
As a player, Williamson was a third-team All-CAA selection as a senior defensive lineman after recording nine tackles for loss and seven sacks for the Spiders.
He and his wife, Marquenette, welecomed their first child — a son, Noah — in July 2024.
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