5-Star linebacker Justin Williams commits to Georgia
Five-Star Class of 2024 linebacker Justin Williams has announced his commitment to the University of Georgia.
The talented prospect out of Conroe, Texas, is a standout player for Oak Ridge High School. Williams first received his offer from the Georgia Bulldogs on March 30, admittedly later than other schools he was strongly considering.
Glenn Schumann called up Williams in late March and was very blunt and honest about the fact that Williams had just slipped through the cracks of Georgia’s evaluation process. The offer came shortly after that call, and then the communication was steady.
Schumann’s development of inside linebackers at Georgia and the production of Georgia linebackers in the NFL went a long way toward making up for Georgia’s early oversight in the recruitment of Williams.
"That doesn't lie," Williams said. "I mean, it just proves that Georgia is Linebacker U, honestly. I mean, it really plays a factor in where you want to go. Because it's a development process. So you see that those guys have developed into great linebackers, so you know, as a linebacker, you want to be great. All the players, they're close-knit. They're going to get after it in practices, they're going to get after it in workouts, but at the same time, they’re still going to love you at the end of the day. And I think the coaches expressed that, too. Coach Schu (defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann), I like to call him a technician. He makes sure everything is right. His mind is crazy.”
The family atmosphere is something that all schools try to build. Few programs have the number of alumni on staff that Georgia does. Also, the continuity of the staff impressed Williams throughout the recruiting process.
“I think Coach Smart has something really great on his hands,” Williams said. “And just being there, my family, it just really showed me that I can be there for a long period of time. You know, even when football is done, you can come back there if that's something I want to do, so that was really cool. Even when they first meet you, they’ll tell you, ‘I’ve been here for a lot of years.’ This isn’t just somewhere they’ve come to and tried to sell people on. You choose other schools, and people are going in and out. Georgia, they’re there for a long time. So there is loyalty there, and they call it home for sure.”
Williams adds an inside linebacker presence to the Class of 2024 for Georgia. Being a signal caller in the middle of the defense and communicating from the front to the back is something that the Texan enjoys.
“I like Mike (linebacker),” Williams said. “It's pretty cool. Just control the middle and really control the whole defense."
In Georgia’s defensive scheme, communication is important as the front six are detached from the back five in terms of calls and operation. You’ll see Georgia linebackers communicating with teammates in front of and behind them quite often.
Williams joins his high school teammate Joseph Jonah-Ajonye in the 2024 class for Georgia. Jonah-Ajonye is an Oak Ridge High School defensive end. Williams got emotional in speaking to UGASports about his relationship with Jonah-Ajonye and seeing him grow as a player and teammate.
“Joseph he's a hard worker,” Williams said. “He's a like-minded person to me, we both want to go get after it. And just seeing him like, over the years develop and just, I'm gonna cry just talking about it, but just seeing him develop into a great player and a great man over the years, it's been great. So I just love seeing him succeed in everything that he does. And he pushes me to be hard work harder.”
Williams is commitment No. 26 for Georgia in its No. 1 ranked 2024 class.