Want to attack every day with the latest Georgia football recruiting info? That’s the Intel. This rep has the decision from 4-star Tyler Williams. He ranks as the nation’s No. 20 WR and the No. 129 overall prospect for 2023 on the 247Sports Composite ratings. Williams lists as the No. 7 prospect at receiver and No. 54 overall for On3Sports. Rivals sees him as the nation’s No. 31 WR and No. 207 overall recruit.
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LAKELAND, Fla. - The time for Georgia to add a receiver that looks like a No. 1 in the SEC and a future first-round NFL Draft pick to the 2023 class came in the midst of a hurricane.
It came down to a bout with the Miami Hurricanes.
That decision came down in Georgia’s favor Tuesday night at 4-star receiver Tyler Williams made his decision to publicly commit to the Bulldogs. He’s ranked as the nation’s No. 20 receiver for the 2023 cycle and suddenly somehow the ‘Dawgs now have commitments from a pair of receivers ranked among the nation’s top 20 prospects for that position in this cycle.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Williams has a wide array of skills. He can throw a football 70 yards. The former QB didn’t get a single rep in the spring game before his junior year. That was before he switched to playing receiver last August.
He caught 11 touchdowns in his first year playing the position, including three in his first game. He’s now committed to the Under Armour All-American Game and to play for Bryan McClendon in Athens.
Williams, despite that vast height, is a lethal punt and kick returner for his high school team. He will also hold for extra points for a very powerful Lakeland High School team.
McClendon made the young man from Lakeland High School a true priority for this class as soon as he knew he was getting the job in Athens. It paid off.
The “Dawgs beat out a strong late surge from Miami over the last month. Williams took a pair of trips to check out Miami. The Hurricanes weren’t even in the final top 5 release from Williams but closed late in a group that also included Clemson, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Texas A&M.
Tyler Williams: The news here moved the ‘Dawgs up in the team rankings.
Williams now becomes the 20th public commitment of the 2023 recruiting cycle for the ‘Dawgs. He becomes the third commitment to play receiver in Athens.
As stated earlier, he becomes the second Georgia pledge for this cycle that ranks among the nation’s top 20 wide receiver prospects. Raymond Cottrell, another Florida resident also ranks as the nation’s No. 19 wide receiver prospect on the 247Sports Composite ratings.
He is now the seventh commitment for the ‘Dawgs from the state of Florida in this cycle. That’s more prospects that Georgia currently have pledges from inside the state of Georgia. Williams is now the 10th-highest-rated recruit in the current class.
This commitment is big news for the class. Williams does look like a prospect that can be a true No. 1 in the SEC and also has the size and skills that the NFL will draft in the first round. The other big development from this commitment is this decision moves Georgia past Texas for the nation’s No. 2 class on the 247Sports Team Composite ratings.
Tyler Williams: Looks like “Memphis” knew what he was talking about
While previewing the decision for Willams earlier today, we happened to share the story of a 50-year-old homeless man that told me his name was “Memphis” on Monday night.
This will still surely read like fiction, but with a required disclaimer that every bit of it is true.
DawgNation flew into Tampa on Monday to make a few recruiting trips and to catch Williams in action. It wasn’t too far past noon when word leaked the Tampa airport was going to shut down on Tuesday afternoon for likely until the weekend. Hurricane Ira was coming.
The entire state was buzzing with news of a serious weather event. It rained all afternoon on the way from Tampa to Lakeland. That 7:30 kick was delayed and I didn’t leave the stadium until just after midnight.
While checking into the parking lot of a nearby hotel, I was approached by a friendly-yet-determined homeless man. “Memphis” was his name. The Alabama native was down on his luck. He was asking for help with the fee to get into a nearby homeless shelter.
Those necessary funds were supplied. Then he shared a very wild story.
“Memphis” calmly stated homeless folks are the walking wise men of our world. He said if you want to know where the best places to eat in any town would be, then a homeless person would certainly know.
“We’ve tried and tried to try them all,” he said.
He knew what was good. What was awful and where there was some sweet tea that would make you want to slap your grandma because she never made it like that.
He then asked where I was from. When I said Georgia, he immediately started talking about Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs.
This 50-year-old man was down on his luck. He didn’t know much about the oncoming hurricane but knew about the current national champions. Maybe it was that Alabama blood and the love for college football.
“That Kirby Smart can really recruit,” Memphis said. “He certainly knows how to build a program. I knew he’d get things figured out up there.”
He then inadvertently asked out loud why the Miami Hurricanes can’t turn their team around like that.
When he said that, I had two hands full of luggage. Both of them almost hit the floor. I was so stunned at the irony of that moment.
“The Hurricanes were really something in the 90s and 20 years ago,” he said. “Why can’t they turn it around and get it back like that?”
When we went on our separate ways, I could only shake my head. I never told him I was in town to report on a player that seems very likely to decide between Georgia and Miami.
Was that fate? Or was that just the randomness of our world these days?
We have our answer now. If I see “Memphis” in the hotel parking lot tonight, I will have no need to update on the latest news with Georgia football recruiting.
Kirby Smart can still recruit. The Miami Hurricanes are still trying to catch up.
SENTELL’S INTEL
(check on the recent reads on DawgNation.com)
- Tyler Williams: Preview a big recruiting decision that will have major repercussions on the 2023 Georgia class
- Sam M’Pemba: 5-star target shares what he thought of that pregame lap around Sanford Stadium with Kirby Smart
- PHOTOS: Check out the Georgia football visitor Intel files for Kent State
- Raymond Cottrell: Longtime WR commit doubles down hard on his future in Athens
- Freshmen Report on Georgia football: Why was that Oscar Delp TD such a big deal?
- Samuel M’Pemba: Why the ‘Dawgs are hunkering down to land this 5-star EDGE rusher
- Georgia 48, South Carolina 7: The pursuit of perfection matters to this Georgia football team
- Georgia football Gimme 5: Where does that “Big Baby” nickname come from?
- Freshmen report on Georgia football: ‘Dawgs 33, Bulldogs 0
- Sentell’s Intel: Watching EJ Lightsey get reps was an incredible takeaway from the Samford shutout
- Check out the elite recruiting move Kirby Smart had for 5-star EDGE Sam M’Pemba
- Dedicated ‘Dawg commit Gabe Harris makes his return to UGA after a trying offseason
- What did the priority targets think about that 46-point beatdown of Oregon?
- Lawson Luckie: The real reason this remarkable young man committed to Georgia will touch your heart
