No. 1 Linebacker in America, Ole Miss Football Commit Takes Visit to See Rebels

Leesburg (Fla.) Tavares four-star linebacker Izayia Williams was back in Oxford this weekend for an unofficial visit to Ole Miss alongside multiple priority targets.

Williams, the No. 1 linebacker in America, flipped his commitment from the Florida Gators to the Ole Miss Rebels in early May.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder has had a unique recruiting process to this point after being verbally committed to multiple programs.

He committed to Louisville in November of 2023 during his sophomore campaign with the pledge being short-lived.

Williams de-committed from the Louisville program just three months later prior to revealing a decision to pledge to the Syracuse Orange in January of 2024.

NEW: Nation's No. 1 LB, Ole Miss commit Izayia Williams is back in Oxford on an unofficial visit.

Huge deal for Pete Golding to get the Sunshine State standout back in town.https://t.co/r6PBMztc0X pic.twitter.com/yIOrosHPnm
— Billy Embody (@BillyEmbody) June 7, 2025

Fast forward to August of 2024 and Williams once again elected to reopen his recruitment process. He then committed to Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles one month later.

Moving ahead, Williams backed off of his pledge to the Florida State program in November and made the move to join Billy Napier's Florida Gators 2026 Recruiting Class.

Now, it's Kiffin and the Rebels' turn to attempt to hold onto Williams' pledge after the top-ranked linebacker in America flipped to Ole Miss in May.

The Recap: Williams' Recruitment History

Commits to Louisville - Nov. 2023
Decommits from Louisville - Jan. 2024
Commits to Syracuse - April 2024
Decommits from Syracuse - Aug. 2024
Commits to Florida State - Sept. 2024
Decommits from Florida State- Nov. 2024
Commits to Florida - Mar. 2025
Flips to Ole Miss - May 2025

Izayia Williams recruitment timeline:

Commits to UL - Nov 2023
Decommits - Jan 2024
Commits to Syracuse - Apr 2024
Decommits - Aug 2024
Commits to FSU - Sept 2024
Decommits - Nov 2024
Commits to Florida - Mar 2025
Flips to Ole Miss - May 2025 https://t.co/WKdkizrZFY
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) May 2, 2025

It's a positive sign to have the top-ranked linebacker back in the Magnolia State over the weekend for an unofficial visit. Kiffin and Co. will be keeping a foot on the gas until Signing Day for the highly-touted prospect.

After adding the No. 1 linebacker in America, the Rebels' 2026 Recruiting Class cruised into the Top-25 after passing the likes of Michigan, North Carolina and others in the rankings.

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.