LeAnthony Williams, Jr., a 4-star defensive back from Georgia’s Roswell High School, is one of the Southeast’s top juniors. UGA might be getting ready for the home stretch for this year’s top seniors, but it is also focused on Williams.
“They’ve really recruited me real hard, for a 2017 kid,” Williams told DawgNation. “They just want to see me back up at the school.”
UGA isn’t taking baby steps with the 6-foot-1, 180-pound blanket defender. Williams revealed a pretty impressive list of coaches who have contacted him: “Coach B-Mac (Brian McClendon), and I talk to coach (Mark) Richt sometimes and coach (Jeremy) Pruitt.”
Richt and Pruitt are the names that jump out, but McClendon should not be overlooked. In addition to serving as UGA’s receivers coach, he’s the program’s recruiting coordinator. He served as the lead recruiter for Lorenzo Carter, Nick Chubb, Todd Gurley, Keith Marshall, Isiah McKenzie and Sony Michel.
That those three coaches are contacting Williams is not only a reflection of how talented a defender he is, but also indicates where he ranks on the UGA board.
“I think (he) could be a high-level contributor at the next level,” Roswell coach John Ford said. “(Williams) could be an instant-impact guy depending on the depth chart and the situation.”
UGA wants Williams back on campus, but the junior, who says he brings “a lot of energy as a player,” may not make the trip anytime soon.
“Probably going to head up there during the summertime,” Williams said.
The 4-star defender has some of the nation’s elite programs lined up, and the list is likely to grow. Williams revealed to DawgNation earlier this year when he plans to release his Top 5, and he says those plans haven’t changed. But the rising prospect did disclose which schools he’s interested in.
“I’m just going to start with Clemson, Florida State, Virginia Tech, LSU, Kentucky, Georgia and ‘Bama,” he said.
UGA hasn’t signed a player from Roswell recently, and some of Williams’ teammates have already committed to play out of state. 4-star linebacker Tre Lamar committed to Clemson in July, and 4-star safety Xavier McKinney committed to Alabama in September.
It’s clear that UGA doesn’t want to miss out on another one of the state’s top defenders.
Williams is the No. 16 cornerback in the Class of 2017 and the rated as the No. 25 prospect in the state of Georgia.
William McFadden covers UGA recruiting for DawgNation and is an SEC multimedia reporter for SECCountry. Give him a follow on Twitter for sports news and opinions you probably won’t agree with.
