DULUTH — When Minnesota Duluth head coach Curt Wiese called then-tight end Aiden Williams to his office at the end of his redshirt sophomore season in 2021, the sixth-year captain out of Anchorage, Alaska wasn’t sure what to expect.

“I thought I was in trouble for something,” Williams recalled with a laugh. “And you know I’m a good kid I usually don’t get in trouble, so I was a little confused on what was going on. .... He was like, you know, if you put on like 50-60 pounds you can be a really good offensive lineman for us.”

Initially unsure about the switch, Williams warmed up to the idea and attacked the position change head-on over the next year. The converted offensive tackle began his UMD career at 6-foot-5, 243 pounds before bulking up to 295 pounds by his redshirt junior season in 2022.

The transformation required eating six full meals a day at one point and a late-night snack before bed.

“Ice cream at night, before you go to bed, a lot,” Williams explained. “It’s all dairy and dairy’s got a lot of fat in it which helps. But other than that just like a lot of beef and chicken, a lot of rice. Just a lot of carbs and you really want good proteins too.”

In the years since the switch, Williams has been a model of consistency on the field, starting all 11 games during the 2022 season, and all but one in 2023. Both seasons ended with Williams being named All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Second Team.

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While success seemingly occurred overnight for Williams, the work behind the scenes preparing for the new position was extensive.

“It’s been a slow progression,” said Wiese. “It took him some time to learn the position and the nuances and the ins and outs and physically get his body to a spot where he was ready to play, but he’s been a pleasure to coach and a lot of fun to watch him grow.”

The dedication to his craft has led Williams to follow in the footsteps of former Bulldogs offensive line greats Brent Laing and Garth Heikkinen as a bona fide NFL Draft prospect. Williams has been a fixture on preseason watchlists and was most recently included on the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl Watchlist along with UMD tight end Sam Pitz.

“It’s definitely surreal,” said Williams of the NFL Draft buzz. “I never thought I would be in this position today. (I’ve always) kind of played with a chip on my shoulder. You know, especially coming from a D-II school it’s kind of hard to make it to that level, especially (from) an O-line standpoint.”

The UMD football program has produced six players taken in the NFL Draft, with Brent Griffith being the most recent example as a seventh-round selection to the Buffalo Bills in 1990.

Williams' selection in the draft would undoubtedly be a long shot. Only one player from the D-II level was selected in last year’s draft when the Seattle Seahawks took Findlay University offensive lineman Michael Jerrell in the sixth round.

Still, Williams has made a habit of defying the odds over his career as the first player in program history to hail from the state of Alaska — a distinction he holds with pride.

“The culture is awesome, it’s very competitive,” he said of the northernmost state’s pigskin prowess. “A lot of people wouldn’t think that, you know. Some people don’t even think Alaska’s a state, they think it’s part of Canada.”

The frigid temperatures are certainly reminiscent of the country due north, as Williams can attest to through his time competing for Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School, formerly East Anchorage High School, which happens to be the most diverse school in the country.

The high school football season in Alaska runs from late July through the end of October to avoid the bitterly cold weather in the months ahead. Still, the frigid temperatures are often unavoidable.

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“My senior year winning state, it was a pretty chilly game,” he shared. “Sophomore year there was about eight inches of snow on the ground so playing in that was pretty fun, but it’s pretty cold (too).”

Williams first caught the eye of Wiese and staff during an offseason camp at North Dakota State as a tight end. In the six years since his initial recruitment, Wiese has been pleased with not only his progression on the field, but his leadership as a captain this season.

“He was more of a leader by example I would say prior to being a captain and he’s grown into the position,” said Wiese. “He’s been more vocal, he’s led by example, he’s not afraid to speak up in front of a group and he’s done a really good job as a captain.”

Still a relative newcomer to the offensive line, Wiese is optimistic about what Williams can accomplish in the years to come as he continues to gain valuable experience.

"I would say mentally he continues to grow as a person and as a player," said Wiese. "He’s developed as a run blocker, he’s developed as a pass blocker. I think just probably mentally his knowledge of our game and the position is where he’s continued to grow and been his best attribute."