2021 Edge Rusher Jeremiah Williams Places Florida Gators in Top 4
Highly rated 2021 edge rusher Jeremiah Williams, of Ramsay (Birmingham, Ala.) has placed the Florida Gators in his top four schools, along with Auburn, Georgia, and Oklahoma. He has not yet announced his commitment date.
Williams is a prized target for Florida, being recruited by linebackers coach Christian Robinson since he was offered in December of 2019. Williams visited Gainesville for March's junior day event just days prior to a recruiting moratorium being put in place amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
Profiling as a BUCK edge rusher in UF's scheme, Williams possesses elite athleticism off of the edge which allows him to get into the backfield and disrupt, whether it be against the run or the pass. A long, slimmer edge rusher currently standing at 6-4, 220 lbs., Williams will need to bulk up at the next level to set the edge as a full-time starter, which he should be capable of. At this size and given his athleticism, however, the Gators could get creative with Williams and drop him into coverage as well.
As a junior, Williams racked up 70 tackles, 14 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and an interception that he returned for a touchdown.
Below, you can find a snippet of Williams' Sports Illustrated All-American scouting report.
Polish: Plays both as a stand-up edge and off-ball ‘backer. Has experience in the boundary and to the field. Flashes variation with his mitts via an inside long-arm stab, inside chop-and-club, rip, swim and also has a speed rush. Needs to sell his initial upfield rush better to set up his inside attacks. Is somewhat light in the pants and needs to add bulk to his frame.
Bottom Line: Williams plays with very good effort, along with good awareness and space production. He can hold his own underneath in zone coverage concepts in the passing game and also has a varied pass-rush toolbox. He isn’t overly long or massive, yet he has enough strength and toughness to factor. Williams fits best as a Jack or Sam edge-type working on the flanks in a defense with a 3-4 base.
This race will be one to watch until the finish. While Florida is in a group of four final schools for Williams, Florida and Auburn have had momentum in his recruitment for some time, which Williams has made clear on social media as of late. On August 10th, Williams sent two tweets teasing Florida and Auburn, deleting the Tigers' tease shortly after but keeping his tweet about the Gators on his timeline.