Texas football lands game-changing 5-Star S Derek Willliams

Texas football was able to snatch one of the biggest commitments in the 2023 recruiting class as this scorching hot streak for the program continues on the trail early this week. Second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff continued their great work on the recruiting trail by landing a commitment from the elite five-star Westgate (LA) safety Derek Williams on June 27.

The Longhorns got the eighth commitment just in the last five days by landing Williams to start off the week. This massive wave of momentum started on the recruiting trail for the Longhorns 2023 class on June 23 by landing a commitment from this staff’s top target and five-star Isidore Newman quarterback Arch Manning.

But the Longhorns managed to use some of this momentum on the recruiting trail to add to this defensive class by landing the first five-star playing on this side of the ball.

Williams announced his commitment to Texas via a post on his Twitter timeline on the night of June 27. He committed to Texas roughly 24 hours after his official visit to Austin concluded over the weekend.

Williams took his first official visit of the summer to Texas last weekend. And it looked like an apparent success by most accounts coming out of the weekend. But it was hard to see the Longhorns pulling this off in such a short span of time.

Heading into the weekend, it was figured that this uber-talented Louisiana safety Williams was a pretty heavy lean for the Alabama Crimson Tide. But Alabama took a commitment from a fellow five-star DB recruit and Alabaster-Thompson cornerback Tony Mitchell.

It looks like Alabama was getting tight on numbers in the secondary in their 2023 recruiting class, hence the opportunity opened up for Texas to make a big move with Williams.

And that is exactly what cornerbacks coach Terry Joseph, safeties coach Blake Gideon, and the Longhorns were able to do on this night. Texas got a staple commitment in the defensive backfield when it looked like this could be a long shot heading into last weekend.

It just seems like Texas can’t lose on the recruiting trail right now. Landing a commitment from an elite defensive back such as Williams is very obvious proof of that.

Moreover, what the Longhorns are getting out of this top-notch 6-foot-2 and 185-pound safety is excellent size, athleticism, and versatility that makes Williams an apparent NFL Draft prospect almost right away. Williams does have ample room to add to his frame still, but that will come along with time.

He will likely look to put on at least another 10 pounds before being ready to assume consistent Power Five reps for Texas.

Williams has almost too many strengths in his game to count on film, though. What initially jumps out at you when watching Williams on tape is his ability to fly all over the field and make big-time plays regardless of what he’s being asked to do.

The insane closing speed and instincts that Williams brings to the table allow him to blow up opposing running backs when he lines up in the box. He can also come in flying off the edge when he’s set to rush the passer.

Williams is also one of the more physical defensive backs that you will find at the high school level. Combine that with his ranginess in the open field and closing speed, and you get a really versatile defensive back that can make big-time plays as a man-coverage cornerback or a deep safety that can cover a ton of ground fluidly.

What makes Williams an interesting fit as a man-coverage corner against Power Five-caliber competition is the combination of his gifted physical tools and his aggressiveness against opposing wideouts. There aren’t many wideouts that are more fluid and rangy than Williams. And that translates in a number of different coverage looks.

Texas football lands major game-changer in 2023 class with 5-Star S Derek Williams

His lankiness and aggressiveness in pass coverage off the line of scrimmage, especially when he’s lined up in press coverage looks, really play to his advantage.

There are many times when Williams is able to jump all over opposing wideouts and drape them to either create a pass breakup or at least force an incompletion.

Even when Williams is asked to play off his man in coverage by five or 10 yards, his closing speed and instincts to the ball still allow him to be ultra-effective. Add in the fact that Williams has so much pop when he meets the ball carrier/opposing wideout, and you get an absolutely lethal skill set that could see him become one of the best cover corners in the Big 12 and/or SEC.

As a safety, though, Williams could still be a do-it-all playmaker that is the very foundation of this secondary. Williams will need to bulk up more while essentially maintaining his ranginess and acceleration, but that could be the position where he makes the biggest impact on Texas.

The fact that Williams is able to make plays on special teams and as a versatile running back for Westgate goes to show just how impactful he could be on multiple sides of the ball for the Longhorns.

All in all, it’s hard to overstate how important this addition is for the Longhorns’ secondary. Texas doesn’t really have a playmaker in the mix now in the back end of the defense that comes close to the potential that Williams brings to the table in this 2023 class.

Landing Williams roughly 24 hours after his official visit to Texas concluded also just goes to show the overall impact that Arch is having on this recruiting class. Williams and Arch stayed in contact in the last few months, and this connection is very likely what got the Longhorns their first two five-star commits in the 2023 class.

Texas was already in a good spot coming out of the weekend with a top-five ranked 2023 class in the nation. After landing Williams, Texas is now challenging to maintain a top-three spot in most national class rankings.