Houston Football: 4-star safety Maurice Williams commits to the Cougars

Bellaire (Texas) Shadow Creek four-star safety Maurice Williams has announced his commitment to Houston. He chose the Cougars minutes after decommitting from LSU.

Williams is the No. 118 overall prospect and No. 6 safety in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 24 player in Texas.

“Dear LSU Admissions and Athletics Department, I am writing to inform you that I have decided to decommit from Louisiana State University,” Williams wrote in a message published to Twitter. “After careful consideration, I have realized that LSU is not the best fit for me at this time. I want to express my sincere appreciation for the time and effort that the LSU coaching staff and admissions team have spent recruiting me. I have the utmost respect for the university and the program, but I have come to the conclusion that it is in my best interest to stay home and play at the University of Houston.”

Following Williams’ decision, Houston’s 2024 recruiting class ranks No. 76 in the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings and No. 12 in the Big 12. It contains four players in Williams, Austin (Texas) Westlake three-star wide receiver Heath McRee, Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek three-star EDGE Zion Taylor and Angleton (Texas) safety Jaden Pettway.

The 5-foot-11.5, 182-pound recruit is the second player to decommit from the Tigers this month. Pickerington (Ohio) Pickerington Central four-star tight end Tayvion Galloway backed off his pledge to head coach Brian Kelly and his staff on June 11.

Williams made his decision while on an official visit to Houston. Bellaire is located roughly 10 miles away from Houston.

“I heard in the recruiting process there’s a lot of faking in it, so I just want something real,” Williams told Billy Embody of The Bengal Tiger on April 28. “Somewhere that I can actually go and feel comfortable and feel at home. I don’t want to go somewhere and then once I get there, it’s different, everything’s changed. I want to feel comfortable wherever I go.”

Following his decommitment, LSU’s 2024 recruiting class is No. 13 in the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings and No. 6 in the SEC. It still contains multiple top-250 prospects, including Jackson (La.) East Feliciana four-star tight end Trey’Dez Green, Denham Springs (La.) four-star safety Dashawn McBryde, Destrehan (La.) four-star linebacker Kolaj Cobbins and Nashville (Tenn.) CPA four-star cornerback Ondre Evans.