Texas Football: 3-Star OLB target Jaydon Williams picks ASU over Horns

A key loss at a position of need for the 2021 Texas football recruiting class dropped on May 1, with 3-Star OLB Jaydon Williams choosing Arizona State.

A target that definitely wasn’t a lock for the 2021 Texas football recruiting class, but seemed like he was favored to land on the Forty Acres, just passed up giving hi pledge to head coach Tom Herman on the first day of the month. On May 1, three-star South Oak Cliff 6-foot-1 and 195 pound outside linebacker Jaydon Williams announced he would be passing up Texas in favor of committing to head coach Herm Edwards and the Arizona State Sun Devils in the PAC-12.

Herman and recently hired defensive coordinator Chris Ash were going all out for the Texas Longhorns football program at a position of need in the 2021 recruiting class. Linebacker is one of the thinnest positions for the Longhorns on the current roster. And Texas has yet to land a single linebacker commit in their 2021 recruiting class.

On May 1, Williams announced on his Twitter timeline that he would be taking his talents to join Arizona State. Edwards and former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis are getting a solid addition to their building 2021 recruiting class in Tempe. Lewis recently took over as a co-defensive coordinator on Edwards’ staff at Arizona State.

This Dallas, TX, native was an important under-the-radar target for the Longhorns. He ranks as the nation’s No. 858 2021 high school prospect, No. 62 outside linebacker, and No. 121 prospect out of Texas (247Sports Composite). The 247Sports sole recruiting ranks slotted Williams as the nation’s No. 49 outside linebacker and No. 116 prospect out of Texas.

Other significant offers that Williams held which he passed up on included the Oklahoma Sooners, SMU Mustangs, Arkansas Razorbacks, Kansas State Wildcats, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Ole Miss Rebels, Tennessee Volunteers, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He passed up on a few blue bloods to commit to Arizona State.

According to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the 2021 Arizona State recruiting class now slots at No. 63 in the nation and No. 5 in the PAC-12. Texas slots as the nation’s No. 17 2021 recruiting class and the top group in the Big 12.