Former Clemson Commit Keeps Tigers in Top Six

It took less than a month for 2027 safety Seth Williams to receive an offer from the Clemson Tigers, commit on the spot and walk it back — a full cycle complete by April 9.

Now, the three-star recruit has released his top six finalists, and the Tigers are still in the mix. His list includes Vanderbilt, Clemson, Penn State, Florida, Pittsburgh and Syracuse, as first reported by 247Sports’ Benjamin Wolk on Friday morning.

Former Clemson commit Seth Williams is down to six schools, he tells @247Sports.

Williams breaks down those six programs w/ a couple OVs set + intel on which teams are trending at this stage.

🏈 https://t.co/QsCSdWUJA4 pic.twitter.com/GGYUXEiQWM
— Benjamin Wolk (@benjaminwolk) April 17, 2026

The Atlanta, Georgia native has been a late bloomer in terms of recruitment, ranking as the No. 810 overall player, the No. 79 prospect at his position and the No. 96 player in the state of Georgia, according to 247Sports Composite rankings — a huge jump from being unranked just two months ago.

Williams broke out as one of the top back-end defenders in Georgia at Lakeside High School this past season, posting 73 tackles, two for a loss, one pass deflection, one forced fumble and one interception. His size and length are worth noting, too, as he stands at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds.

The junior campaign led to a multitude of schools recruiting and offering him, with Tulane being the first to do so on January 24 of this year. Since then, he’s racked up an outstanding 40 offers, with half of them coming since March.

As for where Williams could fit in at the next level, Clemson’s safety room is in the midst of a significant transition. Both starting safeties from last season, Ricardo Jones and Khalil Barnes, entered the transfer portal following the year’s end, with Jones leaving for Vanderbilt — one of the six schools on Williams’ list — and Barnes heading back home to play for the Georgia Bulldogs.

However, the two wasted little time addressing the holes left by the departures, pulling a pair of top 40 safeties out of the portal. One of the best tackling defensive backs in the country, Corey Myrick, arrived from Southern Miss. Additionally, Jerome Carter III came in after finishing tied for second nationally in interceptions with six at Old Dominion last season. Both bring two years of eligibility, giving the Tigers experienced, proven pieces to anchor the position room for the time being.

The 2026 recruiting class also brought in four-star Polo Anderson, who was a top-three player in the state of South Carolina coming out of Dorman High School.

Despite the decommitment, the door is clearly not fully closed on Clemson, as Williams still has an official visit scheduled for the weekend of May 29. Other schools in his top six that he has official visits scheduled for include Vanderbilt, Penn State, and, most recently, Florida.

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