Five-Star Plus+ LB Justin Williams talks first experience with Georgia, Orange Bowl win

Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge Five-Star Plus+ linebacker Justin Williams has helped headline Georgia’s top-ranked 2024 recruiting class ever since he committed on July 24.

The No. 8 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking signed his Letter of Intent on Dec. 20 and has already spent a couple of weeks with the Bulldogs ahead of their 63-3 thrashing of Florida State in the Orange Bowl on Saturday night.

Now, he’s in Orlando practicing ahead of the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 3, where he and four other UGA signees are set to participate. Williams recounted his first experience with Georgia as a signee, taking in bowl practices and getting a valuable glimpse into the not-so-distant future.

“Game speed is so different from high school…you work hard, it’s a war every day, basically. When you wake up, you gotta get ready for war,” Williams said after Sunday’s Under Armour practice.

Despite losing just one game this season, the Bulldogs did not make the College Football Playoff and won’t have the opportunity to win a third consecutive National Championship. Williams, who adamantly thinks UGA is one of the four best teams in the nation, got to see Kirby Smart get his team ready for action and was not surprised by the lopsided outcome.

“Coach Smart, all week he was telling us that it’s about the seniors, it’s about dominance and showing why we should be in the top four. I think the bowl game really showed from the second string, first string, third string, just how packed Georgia is and how much talent we have,” he said.

“You go to our practices, you see that we’re just working hard. I was there two weeks ago but I know what it feels like, they’re just working hard every day, everything’s fast-paced, always competing and that’s what they showed, just dominance. That’s all we do is dominate.”

Williams enjoying the competition at Under Armour practices

Williams enters practice in Orlando with a bit of an edge on most, as he is fresh off of interacting with one of the best college football rosters in the nation. The Under Armour All-America Game will feature tons of the top prospects in the cycle, however, so he’s still getting some stout competition.

“There’s pretty good guys out here. I thought I was going to cruise it just because I was at Georgia, but they still give me good competition. I like that, it’s all about competing at the end of the day,” Williams said.

Reflecting on his recruitment, Williams didn’t have any drama in the lead-up to his decision or his time to sign his LOI. Oregon was the runner-up in the summer, while Texas and Steve Sarkisian kept contact and did what they could to try and keep the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder in-state — though it came to no avail.

At the end of the day, Williams is looking to win, and he sees Georgia as the best place to achieve that goal — especially under the likes of inside LBs coach Glenn Schumann, Smart and the rest of the UGA staff.

“For me, I want to win a National Championship. Coach Schumann is the best coach I feel like in the entirety of college football and he’s going to develop me the best.”