Georgia trending up with Five-Star Plus+ LB Justin Williams
Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge Five-Star Plus+ linebacker Justin Williams is one of the most important remaining targets in this cycle for both Oregon and Georgia, his top two schools.
He took official visits to both in June, and told On3’s Chad Simmons earlier this week that the two programs are ’50/50′ in his mind.
Oregon had been trending as the favorite in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) for much of the past six months or so. But there is a lot of buzz around the Bulldogs with a decision expected in the next few weeks.
In the past five days, three expert picks have gone in the Bulldogs’ favor, including one each from Georgia insiders Jake Rowe and Jake Reuse, as well as On3 national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman.
“Williams was on Georgia’s campus in May for an unofficial visit and it asserted itself as a big-time contender,” Rowe wrote Monday morning. “In fact, since that visit our intel has had the Bulldogs moving in the right direction for the elite talent. His high school (Oak Ridge; Conroe, Tex.) teammate, four-star defensive end Joseph Jonah-Ajonye committed to UGA last week. Those two have traveled together to different visits. They’re close.
… It doesn’t always work like this but since Jonah-Ajonye’s commitment, it seems like Georgia has picked up even more steam. This one is still close but it appears that UGA has grabbed more momentum.”
Williams is impressed by Georgia culture
In his conversation with Simmons, Williams stressed three major advantages to playing football in Athens: a team devoted to Christ, being surrounded by “great people,” and the opportunity to play against the best competition.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker said that Georgia mostly got involved in his recruitment in May before he decided to visit Athens for the first time since his freshman year.
“I went there as a freshman for a camp. I always said that I loved Georgia, just the vibe and the atmosphere,” Williams said. “You feel it as soon as you step on campus. So I went there as a freshman and always liked it, I was just really waiting for the offer. I feel like it has always stayed true to what it is.”
Since the Bulldogs offered Williams, they’ve turned up the heat. Williams said he talks with linebackers coach Glenn Schumann daily about anything on the field or off. He’s also had the chance to build a relationship with Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.
“Every time he talks to my mom and dad, he’s being for real, not trying to sugarcoat anything. I think them going back-to-back, not many people can do that. I’m not saying it’s just about football, but their whole mindset is just about bringing each other up and not be individualized. They just want to go compete for each other, and I think that’s a great thing to do as a football team.”
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Williams is the No. 9 overall prospect in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He ranks as the nation’s No. 1 linebacker and the No. 3 recruit in Texas.