SI99 Edge Jeremiah Williams Knows Collegiate Destination
The public will have to wait until October 10, but one of the top uncommitted prospects in America knows where he is headed for college.
Jeremiah Williams, SI99 member and the No. 7 edge prospect in the class of 2021, has cut his list of finalists to one -- at least privately.
Publicly, the final four programs in contention for the Birmingham (Ala.) Ramsay senior are Auburn, Georgia, Florida and Oklahoma.
"I already know where I'm going," he told SI All-American. "I learned a lot about the different coaching staffs. Some coaching staffs talk to other kids more than you. I don't know if all the coaches know this, but we know the other recruits and talk to each other a little bit. We'll discuss what coaches are talking to them.
"There was one school talking to me the most every day, making sure I'm straight. Making sure my family was straight during the whole corona stuff. That makes me feel like family even though I'm not at their school yet."
The 6-foot-3, 224-pound Williams says the evaluation between the quartet was impacted by the NCAA extending the dead period through the remainder of the year. The move shut down the possibility of official visits and in-person contact between prospect and potential coach.
"It separated them from the other schools," he said. "And I've been to the school on multiple occasions, so it's like icing on the cake for me. The dead period didn't affect them because I'd already been to the school. It probably helped them, actually."
Don't expect a change of heart from the Alabamian beyond the public decision day next month. "I don't plan on de-committing," he said.
Williams, who has helped Ramsay to a 3-0 start in 2020 by leading a defense that has yielded just 7 total points, received his jersey ahead of the 2021 All-American Bowl this week.
"It feels real good, it feels good knowing none of my hard work is going unnoticed" he said. "Not everybody gets to play, and there's a lot of players to choose from, and they selected me at my position
"I'm ready to compete with the best. I can compete with the big boys, I can still be a dominant force against top-tier opponents."
A multi-dimensional set of tools helped the 2021 standout to amass more than 30 scholarship offers as a recruit. He's excited to add more technique to his game at the next level but plays confidence with his development to this point.
"I'm versatile," Williams said. "I can come off the edge, I can play in coverage, I can fill in the run off a gap. I just feel like my skill set and my high IQ for the game makes me the best or one of the best linebackers in the nation."
The 2021 All-American Bowl is set for January 9. It will be broadcasted by NBC.
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