On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Texas now trending for 5-star safety Jonah Williams

Galveston (Texas) Ball five-star safety Jonah Williams is set to announce his commitment on Saturday, Aug. 24. Dissecting his upcoming decision has not been easy.

Throughout the spring and summer, multiple programs have had the momentum for his pledge. Oklahoma was an early favorite. Oregon looked to be in pole position coming out of official visits, while LSU and Texas A&M also garnered some buzz, trending at different times this year.

With a commitment just 48 hours away, however, none of those programs have the lead in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM). That lead now belongs to Texas, as Oregon insider Max Torres and On3 VP of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong each flipped their picks to the Longhorns on Thursday.

Williams visited Austin in April and July. Safeties coach Blake Gideon and assistant head coach Jeff Banks have headed Texas’ push for the No. 10 overall prospect and top-ranked safety in the On3 Industry Ranking, but there’s another layer to Williams’ decision.

A two-sport standout, Williams is also a talented baseball player who will play on the diamond at the next level as well as on the gridiron. Texas hired head coach Jim Schlossnagle away from rival Texas A&M and the new Longhorns skipper is also hopeful to land the 6-foot-3.25, 206-pounder.

“Texas has always been a sleeper for me,” Williams told On3’s Steve Wiltfong about his most recent trip to Austin. “No one thought I was still interested in Texas.”

Texas in need of another big-time recruiting win

While the Longhorns did land Sachse (Texas) five-star wide receiver Kaliq Lockett earlier this month, the summer has witnessed the new SEC program whiff on a few priority targets.

Duncanville (Texas) Five-Star Plus+ WR Dakorien Moore chose Oregon on July 4 after decommitting from LSU. McKinney (Texas) five-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn pledged to Ohio State just a couple days later. On Wednesday, Lewisville (Texas) five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi chose Oklahoma over Texas and Texas A&M.

Losing out on another in-state five-star in Williams would be another tough pill to swallow for Sarkisian and his staff. While plenty can still happen ahead of the safety’s decision, arrows are starting to point toward The Forty acres.

Texas’ 2025 class currently ranks No. 15 in the nation and No. 8 in the SEC, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. A total of 16 commits are in the class, nine of whom are four-stars. Headlining the class alongside Lockett is a trio of top-100 recruits: Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove four-star EDGE Lance Jackson, Houston Alief Hastings four-star EDGE Smith Orogbo and Dallas Skyline four-star linebacker Elijah Barnes.