After a pair of stellar collegiate careers, lineman Josiah Green ’25 and defensive back Sean Williams ’26 are looking to continue making plays on Sundays this upcoming NFL season.
After a postgraduate season with the Duke University Blue Devils, Green signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Green capped off his Dartmouth career during the fall 2024 season with 20 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, making him a constant force on the interior of the Big Green defensive line. He broke out last season in the Atlantic Coast Conference playing for Duke University, finishing with 37 total tackles and 3.5 sacks. He earned the Duke Hard Hitter Award for his physicality and tenaciousness against elite college football competition.
Williams, who started every game for the Big Green this past season, received an invitation to rookie mini-camp from the Tennessee Titans following the NFL draft. Mini camp invites are an opportunity to try out among other drafted and undrafted players to make the 90-man training camp roster for the summer. At Dartmouth, Williams primarily played at safety, tallying 31 total tackles and 4 interceptions en route to earning a spot on the All-Ivy League First Team. His downhill instincts and ability to track the ball in coverage made him one of the most valuable defenders throughout his four-year career at Dartmouth.
What was the draft process like, and how did you feel going into it?
JG: I had finals, so I was a little worried about that. But, I mean, it was great. The Buccaneers signed me. They called me early in the fourth round, so I was very happy about that. It’s a great scheme fit. It’s a huge accomplishment, but you have to take each day as it is and just work every day, get better every day. I kind of have the mindset that no matter if you come in undrafted or if you’re drafted, no one wants you here, to be honest. It’s a job: Everybody needs to feed their family, to feed their kids. I’ll be in grind mode when I get there.
SW: Going into the weekend, I knew I had to be prepared for any result that happened. Obviously, I was optimistic about the results that I wanted to get, but all in all, I was just excited to get another opportunity to play football.
Josiah, how was your postgraduate season experience at Duke University this past year?
JG: It was really fun. I came in with the veteran D-line, and I guess I was the missing piece of the puzzle. I kind of came in off the rip in the winter, and everybody saw how strong and athletic I was. Summer is where it really picked up and I got more connected with the guys. The workouts were ridiculous, and the extra work with the guys, outside of regular practice, really helped bond us together. Transitioning from Dartmouth to Duke, football is the same; it’s just different people playing it. Overall, I had a great experience at Duke. I was able to help bring another championship to the team, so now I have four rings. It was pretty special winning an outright ACC championship, even though we’re not supposed to be in it. [Unranked Duke entered the ACC Championship at 7-5 as underdogs against No. 17 University of Virginia,reaching the game only after a five-team tiebreaker that included No. 12 University of Miami. As a result, many expected a lopsided loss and questioned whether the Blue Devils belonged in the championship game.]
Have you connected with anyone on the team looking ahead to camp?
JG: I’m really excited to talk to these guys, especially Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey, who is similar to my type of build and play style. Hearing their knowledge and talking about their experience in the NFL is going to be crucial to my transition to the league. Vita Vea is also huge, and no one else can really do what he does, so whatever he says, you kind of have to take it with a grain of salt. I can definitely learn from Kancey, and I’m gonna be here with all the other rookies just trying to find my way. I’m glad that I’m with guys who have played a lot of ball and have a lot of knowledge that can guide me through the process.
SW: They just gave me the schedule, so there was no one I really talked to. I did the local day, [which is where NFL teams can invite players with local ties to their teams, like local colleges or hometown ties, to play in a one-day, team-run pro day before the draft] a few weeks ago. I was able to talk to the staff at that, but not since then.
Did you have conversations with Dartmouth teammates also going through the draft process, or other people involved with the team? What did you talk about?
JG: Before the draft, I was talking with Sean and Delby Lemieux ’26, and I just told them, whether you get signed or whether you get an invite, you have to go make a name for yourself, especially coming out of a smaller school like Dartmouth. People already think that you haven’t played competition at a higher level, but if you’re a player, they’ll be able to find you. As far as coaches, I was talking with [Dartmouth’s former assistant D-line] coach Duane Brooks. I know he recently retired, but he’ll check up on me and then talk to scouts for me. A bunch of scouts were calling him about me because he has a bunch of connections.
SW: [Delby Lemieux ’26] and I had conversations a while ago, just kind of expressing our outside work and hope for each other, but nothing much more outside of that.
How are you feeling about moving on from Dartmouth football and getting an opportunity at the next level?
JG: If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing, even with the opportunities and NIL money at other schools. To me, the Ivy League is almost like high school football, in the sense that it is one of the purest forms of the game. No one’s there for money, you’re literally doing it for the love of the game.
If I had to redo it all over again, I would do that because I found a deeper love for the game, playing at Dartmouth and playing college ball there with those guys, growing up with the same class for four years, winning from my freshman year, being on scout team versus starting senior year. Winning the championships for this team is something that I wouldn’t trade for the world. That experience has meant a lot to me.
SW: It’s bittersweet. Playing football at Dartmouth is going to be extremely different from getting an opportunity in the NFL. So, just holding on to those memories, but also moving forward and continuing to be the best version of myself that I was able to get to through Dartmouth football, is important to me.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
