Class of 2024 LB Dylan Williams Includes UCLA Football in Top 7
One of the top linebackers in the West has the Bruins high on his list.
Class of 2024 linebacker Dylan Williams revealed his top seven semifinalists on Sunday, including UCLA football on his list. Alabama, Penn State, Miami (FL), Michigan, Oregon and Texas are the other schools still in the hunt for the Long Beach Poly (CA) prospect.
Williams had been pledged to USC until he decommitted on Oct. 18, 2022. He also had offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Cal, Colorado, Colorado State, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, Nevada, Ole Miss, Oregon State, Purdue, San Jose State, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Utah, UTSA, Washington and Washington State.
UCLA offered Williams back on May 25, 2022 – when he was still committed to USC. Williams was one of the first recruits targeted by inside linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr., who had only been on the staff for three months.
Williams has documented visits to Oregon, USC, Washington and Utah over the past few months, but he came to Westwood for an unofficial in October. He also made it out to the Rose Bowl Game in January, which featured both Utah and Penn State. As for upcoming trips, Williams told On3 that he has official visits set up for Michigan, Texas and Miami in June.
Veteran NFL tight end and former UCLA standout Marcedes Lewis went to Long Beach Poly, but the Bruins haven't been particularly successful recruiting Jackrabbits under coach Chip Kelly.
Williams recorded 48 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two pass breakups and two fumble recoveries as a sophomore in 2021, and he broke out with 79 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one interception, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two blocked punts and a blocked field goal as a junior in 2022.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound linebacker converted that performance into an appearance on MaxPreps' Junior All-American Second Team.
Williams is a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and On3. In the 247Sports Composite, Williams ranks as the No. 17 player in California, the No. 10 linebacker in the country and the No. 122 overall recruit in his class.
Among California linebackers, Williams ranks No. 2.
UCLA has two commits for its 2024 recruiting class – four-star defensive back Khristian Dunbar-Hawkins and three-star offensive tackle Joshua Glanz. The Bruins' two-man class ranks No. 50 in the country and No. 6 in the Pac-12, according to 247Sports.
Of UCLA's 13 class of 2023 signees, four were brought in by Norton to play linebacker – Tre Edwards, Solomone Malafu, Ty Lee and Donavyn Pellot. Between those four and whoever else Norton reels in for 2024, the young linebackers will likely have to contribute early on given the number of outgoing bodies.
Darius Muasau and Ale Kaho will be in their final years of eligibility this fall, while Kain Medrano, JonJon Vaughns and Cal transfer Oluwafemi Oladejo will have exhausted their eligibility after 2024. Meanwhile, the Bruins only added one scholarship linebacker out of high school in 2022 – Jalen Woods – and they did not add any in 2021.
Whether Williams is part of that next wave of linebackers in Westwood is yet to be determined, as the Bruins are dealing with some heavy competition to secure the top prospect's commitment.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF DYLAN WILLIAMS/TWITTER
