{"id":60615,"date":"2024-07-13T23:16:45","date_gmt":"2024-07-14T04:16:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=60615"},"modified":"2024-07-13T23:16:45","modified_gmt":"2024-07-14T04:16:45","slug":"orchard-lake-st-marys-ath-bryson-williams-goes-in-depth-on-decision-to-commit-to-michigan-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/orchard-lake-st-marys-ath-bryson-williams-goes-in-depth-on-decision-to-commit-to-michigan-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Orchard Lake St. Mary\u2019s ATH Bryson Williams goes in-depth on decision to commit to Michigan State"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michigan State <\/strong>received a commitment from athlete Bryson Williams<\/a><\/strong>, of Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary\u2019s High School, as he announced his decision during a ceremony at the school on July 11. Williams became the Spartans third commitment from the storied in-state high school program in the 2025 class, joining high school teammates Charles White<\/a><\/strong> and Jayden Savoury<\/a><\/strong> in the class. <\/p>\n

Williams (6-1, 205) is ranked a three-star athlete, the No. 886 overall recruit in the class of 2025 On3 Industry Rankings.<\/strong> He also ranks the No. 50 athlete in his class and the No. 17 recruit in Michigan. <\/p>\n

The three-star holds a variety of college offers including Penn State, Purdue, West Virginia, Illinois, and others. Williams took official visits to Kansas and Pittsburgh in June, as both the Jayhawks and Panthers made his top five list. <\/p>\n

Despite the strong Power Four interest, Williams ended up choosing the Spartans over Ivy League finalists in Harvard and Rice. Michigan State<\/strong> won out over the Ivy League schools on July 11, but Williams tells SpartanMag.com<\/strong> it was Harvard who wrestled with the Spartans in his mind leading up to the final decision. <\/p>\n

Into the decision<\/h2>\n

Williams did not make his final decision until just a few days before his scheduled July 11 ceremony. He previously planned to announce a commitment on July 4, but pushed it back for more clarity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very relieving, there was a lot of stress to it,\u201d Williams said after the announcement. \u201cAll of the schools that I was considering were great schools. (The are) all great coaches. My family and I had really been praying and my heart was really set on (Michigan State) after a couple days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was probably Monday (July 8) that I made the decision,\u201d Williams continued. \u201cThree days before I committed, that is when I really settled on it and I knew. I talked about it with my parents the next day, just to make sure everything was good. It was pretty short notice, but it worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams will be able to stay close to his friends and family at home in Orchard Lake. He was met with excitement at his school and within his family when sharing the decision to commit to Michigan State<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere was definitely love everywhere,\u201d Williams said. \u201cSome people thought I was going to go to Harvard, some people said \u2018I knew it\u2019. Everyone was happy for me and just excited to see me play at the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n

So how close was he to choosing Harvard?<\/p>\n

\u201cI was actually really close,\u201d Williams said. \u201cIt was really a battle to say no to that. For me, it was Harvard. They have great coaches. I love all of them and we built a relationship deeper than football. I was definitely considering them. I have nothing but praise for them and the experience they provided.\u201d<\/p>\n

The relationships with the Michigan State coaches, not only with him but his parents and his six year old little brother were one of the main deciding factors. Williams grew a close bond with Spartan running backs coach and Detroit area recruiter Keith Bhonapha<\/a><\/strong>, along with wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have a really, really good relationship with both coach Hawkins and coach KB,\u201d Williams said. \u201cEspecially coach KB. We have built our relationship ever since he offered me, just talking on the phone. My brother got to hangout with his little kids, so just building those relationships. On the official visit we got to talk even more with my family and stuff, he is a really good guy and so is coach Hawk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCoach Hawk is also a really good guy,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI got to meet his family, his wife and his daughter, he is a really great guy. On the football side of it, he has really good development with his players to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams has also met with Jonathan Smith<\/a><\/strong> multiple times during his recruitment, most recently on the June 21 official visit. The athlete is impressed with Michigan State\u2019s head coach and his direction for the program. <\/p>\n

\u201cI like what he has going on with the program, especially with the coaching staff he brought with him,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI like what he did at Oregon State, it really shows you something being able to flip a program around like that. I feel like he can do the same thing at Michigan State. I really like that about him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, he is just a really great guy all around. He is a great person. You will never hear anyone say anything bad about him. Those are probably the biggest things I like about him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Official visit<\/h2>\n

When reflecting back to that June official visit in East Lansing, Williams says the best part was his time spent with freshman Michigan State <\/strong>wide receiver Nick Marsh<\/a><\/strong> and sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles<\/a><\/strong>. Learning more about the Spartan program through the player lens was important for Williams. <\/p>\n

\u201cFirst thing, being around the players (was a highlight of the visit)\u201d, Williams said. \u201cOn my previous visits I really wasn\u2019t around them a lot, I was around coach KB. I knew what he was like, but I got to spend a lot of time with the players like Aidan Chiles and Nick Marsh and see what they were like. Just seeing what they were like outside of football.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso it was great spending time with the rest of the coaching staff. I really spent my whole weekend with them. They are great people. (Michigan State) is a family oriented school and coaching staff, so it was great.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a Detroit (Mich.) product himself, Marsh graduated from River Rouge High School, looking to make an impact as a true freshman in 2024. Williams built a relationship with Marsh as he was his host over the weekend. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe got to know each other on the visit,\u201d Williams said. \u201cWe had played against each other on the field, but we had never talked outside of that. It was great. We went bowling, Nick loves bowling so there was some competition going on. Nick and Aidan made it a good time. They showed me what college life in the summer and outside of school was like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, Williams will have familiar faces on campus with him when he arrives in East Lansing next year in previously mentioned Charles \u2018DJ\u2019 White and Jayden Savoury. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is definitely going to be nice to be able to play with them,\u201d Williams said. \u201cWe have great relationships. Jayden and I both transferred in to Orchard Lake, so we have been closer than other people just both being new. Of course, DJ is there too, he is a great guy. I am excited to be able to play with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

How he fits<\/h2>\n

Williams received Power Four offers at multiple positions on the field, both defensive and offensively, as his position in college is still yet to be determined. Michigan State<\/strong> is primarily recruiting Williams on the offensive side of the ball, as a versatile wide receiver\/running back. His other opportunities included offers at the safety and linebacker positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am open to everything, any position would be fine to me, as long as I am playing football,\u201d Williams told SpartanMag.com. \u201cThe coaches like my size and my upside. I am only 16 (years old), so they don\u2019t know how big I will get. They like the way I move, and also with playing multiple sports they just like my versatility and physicality.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey think I can play a lot of positions, whether thats on the offensive of defensive side of the ball, but they really think they can do special things with me. With me still being so young and being able to do so many things, they think they can develop me into an even better player than I am now.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his recruitment now in the review mirror, Williams can focus on his senior season with St. Mary\u2019s. The team will have lofty goals for 2024, and Williams plans to play a big role on and off the field as a senior. <\/p>\n

\u201cNumber one, state championship,\u201d Williams said. \u201cFor me personally, I want to be a better teammate, whether that is helping people on or off the field. To win a state championship I can\u2019t be the only one doing something, so I have to help out my teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be dominant and let people know I am on the field. Just go out there and dominate and do what I am supposed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post Orchard Lake St. Mary\u2019s ATH Bryson Williams goes in-depth on decision to commit to Michigan State<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michigan State received a commitment from athlete Bryson Williams, of Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60615"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60655,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60615\/revisions\/60655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}