Of all the prospects who attended UT's spring game last weekend, it can be argued that no player in the 2016 class had as big of a recruiting profile as defensive tackle Michael Williams. The Dallas All Saints Episcopal standout has more than 30 offers, and pretty much every program imaginable has shown some level of interest in the 6-2, 300-pounder.
Michael Williams attended the Texas spring game last weekend.
Texas is among the long list of programs who is showing significant interest, including extending an early scholarship offer, and the coaches spent time with Williams before and after the spring game.
"I got to talk to a lot of the coaches, mostly coach (Brick) Haley, coach (Charlie) strong and coach BJ (Brian Jean-Mary)," Williams said. "When I talk to coach Strong, he mostly talks about his philosophy and what he believes as a person. Then he answered some of my questions. They really made me feel important and just told me to have fun."
Williams said it was a good visit overall, and one thing he takes away from the time spent around the UT program is that the coaches would maximize his talent as a defensive player.
"They're going to have strong defenses for the future. If you put the right players in coach Bedford and coach Strong's hands, they're going to make something out of you," Williams said. "The coaches were all saying they put their heart and soul into it. That's important to me.
"They made a good impression. I liked it. I liked the visit as a whole. They'll be up there at the top of the list. There's no number one because I don't have one, but they'd be up there."
Williams will take visits to Stanford and California on May 16 and 17. From there, he'll start narrowing down his list. Williams said he may not release his favorites publicly as he begins to eliminate teams from the mix, but he'll go through a gradual process in his mind.
"I'll probably try to do that after spring, maybe in the summer time. I'll just keep narrowing it down from there," Williams said. "I'm not going to release a top 10 or anything, but I'll just do it to myself and go from there."
The good news for the Longhorns is that they're expected to make that first cut since they currently sit near the top of Williams' list. As for other schools who are in that same category, Williams said TCU and Stanford "would be up there."
When it does come time to make a decision, Williams said academics will have a big impact. He's a terrific student, which is a big part of the reason he's such a hot commodity for college coaches, and he wants to go to a school that will prepare him for life after football.
"Its' about the 40, not four. You have to have that education to back it up," said Williams, who is considering studying something in the medical or business fields.
Michael Williams attended the Texas spring game last weekend.
Texas is among the long list of programs who is showing significant interest, including extending an early scholarship offer, and the coaches spent time with Williams before and after the spring game.
"I got to talk to a lot of the coaches, mostly coach (Brick) Haley, coach (Charlie) strong and coach BJ (Brian Jean-Mary)," Williams said. "When I talk to coach Strong, he mostly talks about his philosophy and what he believes as a person. Then he answered some of my questions. They really made me feel important and just told me to have fun."
Williams said it was a good visit overall, and one thing he takes away from the time spent around the UT program is that the coaches would maximize his talent as a defensive player.
"They're going to have strong defenses for the future. If you put the right players in coach Bedford and coach Strong's hands, they're going to make something out of you," Williams said. "The coaches were all saying they put their heart and soul into it. That's important to me.
"They made a good impression. I liked it. I liked the visit as a whole. They'll be up there at the top of the list. There's no number one because I don't have one, but they'd be up there."
Williams will take visits to Stanford and California on May 16 and 17. From there, he'll start narrowing down his list. Williams said he may not release his favorites publicly as he begins to eliminate teams from the mix, but he'll go through a gradual process in his mind.
"I'll probably try to do that after spring, maybe in the summer time. I'll just keep narrowing it down from there," Williams said. "I'm not going to release a top 10 or anything, but I'll just do it to myself and go from there."
The good news for the Longhorns is that they're expected to make that first cut since they currently sit near the top of Williams' list. As for other schools who are in that same category, Williams said TCU and Stanford "would be up there."
When it does come time to make a decision, Williams said academics will have a big impact. He's a terrific student, which is a big part of the reason he's such a hot commodity for college coaches, and he wants to go to a school that will prepare him for life after football.
"Its' about the 40, not four. You have to have that education to back it up," said Williams, who is considering studying something in the medical or business fields.
