Inside Five-Star Plus+ LB Justin Williams’ commitment to Georgia

Justin Williams‘ decision is in as the nation’s top linebacker committed to Georgia, a team that began to take control of his recruitment at just the right time.

Williams, a Five-Star Plus+ linebacker out of Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge High School just north of Houston, enjoyed a unique recruitment. Being right in the heart of the Lone Star State, the No. 9 player in the country is originally from the Chicago area. He had no regional ties over the course of his recruitment, and despite being coveted by major heavyweights inside Texas was largely an out-of-state lean.

That opened the door for Oregon to make a strong first move with the elite linebacker.

Dan Lanning, Ducks take control in Williams’ recruitment early

No school has gotten the Five-Star Plus+ linebacker on campus more than Oregon in the calendar year.

After two trips to Eugene last year, including the statement victory over UCLA last October, buzz about a mid-fall commitment from the talented junior was growing. Williams elected to hold off.

He made his way to Texas and back to Oregon in January, and again the buzz around Dan Lanning and the Ducks making another splash with one of the best in 2024 resurfaced. The head coach along with his NFL-experienced defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi were staples in Williams’ recruitment since the jump, and they were digging their heels in as favorites with the blue-chipper.

“Over the past year and a half with me, he taught me a lot about my personal life and my football life,” Williams told On3 of Lanning. “Him being the head coach of Oregon is a testament to what they’re about to do the next decade and what they’re trying to accomplish.”

Williams caught SEC fever this spring

After a stellar junior campaign manning the middle of the Oak Ridge High School defense in 2022 and more coaches swinging down I-45 by to get their eyes on the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder, two more schools secured visits from Williams: Alabama and Georgia.

The Crimson Tide hosted the nation’s No. 1 linebacker for a visit in March. He raved about the structure and enthusiasm around Tuscaloosa.

Georgia got its chance with Williams in May after a wave of coaches frequented Oak Ridge in the spring. His prep teammate Joseph Jonah-Ajonye raved about the Dawgs ahead of their first visit to Athens — calling it his “dream school.”

Williams played it cooler but was equally as struck by the people and culture in Athens.

“I loved it,” he said of the visit, adding that the coaches devoted a lot of time to the players and formed close-knit connections. “It’s a great place. It’s easy to see why they went back-to-back.”

The word “trust” was also tossed around quite a bit when the topic of Georgia was brought up.

Georgia, Oregon each get a swing at Five-Star Plus+ LB in June

After touring through Tuscaloosa and Athens, Williams returned to Oregon — his fourth time in the Pacific Northwest in an 11-month stretch — for an official visit.

Williams spent time around Lanning and Lupoi and got an even better grasp of the program, but a commitment did not follow. Instead, Williams set up another official visit — back to Georgia.

After leaving Athens for a second time, the Ducks’ staunch lead had faded considerably. It was a two-horse race, and the new contender was making major in-roads with the elite linebacker and key members of his circle.

“They’ve done it … a lot,” Williams said of Georgia. “The proof is in the pudding. All the linebackers that have been to Georgia have gone to the NFL. That’s really something that caught my eye.”

The same reason why Lanning had jumped out to a fast start with Williams — his passion, enthusiasm, and track record of developing great college and NFL linebackers — was leveled out by the presence of both Kirby Smart and Glenn Schumann.

Like his protege, Smart took a hands-on approach to recruiting Williams. Current Georgia players raved about Smart’s affinity and compassion for his players on and away from the field. Schumann, who Williams referred to as a “football genius,” also connected with the Five-Star Plus+ linebacker on a more spiritual level, another major catalyst that weighed heavily in his recruitment.

After two visits to Athens and the dust settled, only Georgia was standing tall with Williams as the champs reload with even more talent to plug in on the defensive side of the ball

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