Stanford's Terian Williams II uses NIL to give back over Christmas

At the end of Stanford‘s autumn quarter, freshman defensive back Terian Williams II used earnings from his roughly 30 NIL partnerships to provide groceries, Christmas presents and housing to 10 families in Atlanta. A former On3 Consensus three-star recruit from Johns Creek (Ga.) High School, he credited his parents Terian and Tamara with helping him give back to the local community when he was home for the holidays.

Terian Williams is a police officer in Atlanta. The younger Williams said he told his dad in early October that he wanted to give back to families in the metro Atlanta area during the holidays.

Tamara Williams is a high school teacher who teaches business marketing. She used her connections through her school system to help identify families who have faced issues related to food, housing or transportation whom her son could support.

“I came from a good upbringing and it’s just definitely the best way I can say thank you to them is just keep grinding, keep pushing and give back,” Williams said in a Zoom interview.

It was a Christmas in which Williams said he was focused on the gifts he gave rather than received.

“I would say this year was the first year that I didn’t, like, get anything for Christmas and it just felt great giving back, seeing smiles on the kids’ faces,” Williams said.

Williams published a video on YouTube that documented his experience the week before Christmas. He filled a Kroger shopping card with groceries and household goods like laundry detergent, paper towels, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

After dropping off food at a home one week before Christmas, Williams returned two days before Christmas with gifts. The mother joked that her daughter was about to become a TikTok sensation thanks to the microphone Williams bought her.

“I think that student-athletes don’t understand the pull that they have until they’re able to use it,” Williams said. “A lot of people look up to us. A lot of people watch us on TV, watch how we move and different things like that.

“So to be able to give back was definitely a blessing and I’m definitely just excited to continue to do bigger and better things from there.”

Terian Williams II has roughly 30 NIL partnerships

Talk to Williams and you’ll find that it’s not a cliche to associate his motivation to find corporate partnerships and provide charitable efforts with his university.

Williams recalled a recent conversation with one of his mentors, former Stanford linebacker Chris Draft, who referenced “that Stanford mind.”

“It’s always bouncing around, trying to figure out something bigger and better,” Williams said. “Next thing to do.”

He said he plans to launch a nonprofit organization soon and that he has partnered with The White Ribbon Project, which promotes awareness about lung cancer. Williams plans on finding a way to give back to the greater Atlanta community next summer when he returns home.

A graphic showing Williams’ more than two dozen corporate partners includes companies such as Boost Mobile, DoorDash and Fanatics. Two of his first brand partners were ALFA Clothiers and Okiyefa Shades, which he credits as partnerships that got the ball rolling for him in the NIL landscape.

He reached those partnerships in the fall of his freshman year without an agent.

While Williams said he has used the NIL marketplace MOGL to source some deals, he has reached partnerships largely through his own initiative.

“That’s one of the big things about this NIL [era] is taking that extra time to go reach out to the companies,” he said. “Find the companies. Find somebody that matches the same core values I have and being able to speak with them, hop on the phone with them and be able to negotiate those different things.”