Oklahoma's Top 2022 Prospect Breaks Down Recruitment; OSU In Solid Position
Before the Coronavirus outbreak in the past few weeks, Oklahoma State’s football recruiting was red hot. Well, even with the face to face recruiting ban the NCAA has put in place, that has not slowed down Mike Gundy and staff in their pursuits.
One of those pursuits is the state of Oklahoma’s top 2022 prospect and top 10 national prospect, Gentry Williams, a do it all athlete out of Booker T. Washington in Tulsa, OK.
When I say do it all, I mean it. Williams plays quarterback, cornerback, and wide receiver for Booker T.
As a freshman in 2018, Williams led Booker T. Washington to the Oklahoma 6A-II state semifinals and in 2019 as sophomore he helped his team to an Oklahoma 6A-II playoff berth.
One of the first things you notice about Williams on film is his pure speed, which is backed up by his state championship track performances. In the spring of 2019, Williams won the Oklahoma 6A 400-meter championship with a time of 47.70 seconds and got silver in the 6A 200-meter title with a personal record 21.14.
Something the Oklahoma State coaching and recruiting staff have always been very good at is recognizing talent and Gentry Williams a perfect example of that. Oklahoma State was Williams’ first offer back in April of 2019.
Since that date, he has picked up 7 more offers coming from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Baylor, Memphis, Michigan, Nebraska, and Tulsa. Over the next year or so, his recruitment will sky rocket, with him most likely picking up 20-25 more offers, making him one of the most sought after prospects in the nation.
Because Oklahoma State extended the first offer, they have put themselves into a great position.
“They’ve been with me since day one,'' Williams told early Wednesday afternoon. “I talk to coaches all the time and they just see me doing a lot of things there, which is very big for me, you know they’ve supported me since day one.”
Williams told me that for the most part he is talking with either Coach [Tim] Duffie or Coach [Mike] Gundy. “It’s always casual when I’m talking with Coach Duffie, he’s never been a guy to press me about a certain situation or how I feel about something.”
Even though he’s having conversations with Coach Duffie, who coaches cornerbacks, Williams told me that Oklahoma State is actually recruiting him as a wide receiver. His ball skills and after the catch skills make him one of the top prospects in the country as that position, even though it’s not his primary position for Booker T. Washington.
“It’s not really something I’ve thought about, I'm just playing it by ear.”, Williams said on which position he wants to play in the college ranks.
What Williams did say he is looking for in his recruitment is “a family feel is very big for me, academics is a big part of it, and of course life after football is a big thing for me.”
There are some other schools outside of Oklahoma State that Williams is very interested in with Nebraska, Arkansas, Baylor, and Oklahoma as the other four he thinks highly of at the moment. He had planned on taking some spring visits but the Coronavirus has derailed some of those plans but Williams isn't worried. “I still have a couple years to take those visits and grow relationships so the cancellations aren't playing a huge role right now.”
A big deal right now for Williams is his track season and showing off his speed, which is obviously among the best not just in Oklahoma, but the nation. Gentry Williams is one of the most talented players in the class of 2022 and Oklahoma State has already done a great job with their relationship with him. I expect the Pokes to stay in this for the long run with a real shot at landing the future 5 star.