Update on 5-star safety Jonah Williams | Inside Texas Football
Galveston (Texas) Bowl five-star safety Jonah Williams is set to announce his commitment on Saturday, Aug. 24. Analyzing his upcoming decision hasn't been easy.
Throughout the spring and summer, multiple programs have been lining up to pledge him: Oklahoma was the favorite from the start, Oregon seemed to have the edge on official visits, but Louisiana State and Texas A&M also garnered buzz and attention at different times this year.
But with enrollment just 48 hours away, none of those programs have the lead on the On3 Recruiting Projection Machine (RPM), with that lead now being held by Texas after Oregon insider Max Torres and On3 vice president of recruiting Steve Wiltfong each picked the Longhorns on Thursday.
Williams visited Austin in April and July, and safeties coach Blake Gideon and assistant head coach Jeff Banks have overseen the recruitment of Texas, the No. 10 overall prospect in the On3 industry rankings and the top-ranked safety in the program, but there's another side to Williams' decision.
A two-sport standout, Williams is also a talented baseball player who will likely play on the field at the next level. Texas poached head coach Jim Schlossnagel from rival Texas A&M, and the Longhorns' new coach is also looking to land the 6-foot-3-2, 206-pound Williams.
“Texas was always an unknown place for me,” Williams told On3's Steve Wiltfong about a recent trip to Austin. “Nobody thought I'd still be interested in Texas.”
Texas needs a win to land another big name.
The Longhorns added five-star wide receiver Kalik Lockett from Saxe (Texas) earlier this month, but several priority targets passed on to new SEC programs over the summer.
Five-star plus+ WR D'Acolleen Moore of Duncanville (Texas) chose Oregon on July 4 after declining a commitment from Louisiana State University. Five-star linebacker Riley Pettyjohn of McKinney (Texas) committed to Ohio State just a few days later. On Wednesday, five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasci of Louisville (Texas) chose Oklahoma over Texas and Texas A&M.
Losing another in-state five-star recruit in Williams will be another tough pill to swallow for Sarkisian and his staff. A lot can still happen before a decision is made on the safety, but the signs are starting to point toward the Forty Acres.
Texas' 2025 class is currently ranked 15th in the country and eighth in the SEC, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. There are 16 total commits in the class, nine of which are four-stars. Headlining the class alongside Lockett are three top-100 recruits: four-star EDGE Lance Jackson of Pleasant Grove, Texas; four-star EDGE Smith Ologbo of Houston's Aleef Hastings; and four-star linebacker Elijah Barnes of Dallas Skyline.
