4/16/2018 football Edit

Alabama wins the Christian Williams sweepstakes

Chad Simmons • Rivals.com

Recruiting Analyst

Chad Simmons is a Recruiting Analyst for Rivals.com. He was the expert on The Next Class on Fox Sports South from 2011-2015. He currently covers Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.

Daphne (Ala.) four-star cornerback Christian Williams announced Wednesday afternoon that he has committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Williams is a 6-foot-1, 175 pound Rivals 250 prospect that had offers from many SEC powers and he chose to stay home with Alabama. Lets dive into who the winner and losers are in this race.

THE WINNER

The obvious winner is Alabama. Williams has been considered an Alabama lean for some time. He has visited there more than any other school and once the new staff took shape and he was able to have a few conversations, things really looked good for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama loves corners like Williams, so he has been a top priority for them for some time. Defensive backs is a big need in this class, so Williams is a big pick up for the Tide.

THE LOSERS

Tennessee made a late run with Jeremy Pruitt as the head coach and the Vols actually had Williams on campus recently, but the real losers here are Auburn and LSU.

Williams visited Auburn a couple of times and took a strong look at LSU earlier this year when he was in Baton Rouge. Alabama took Patrick Surtain Jr. from LSU on Signing Day and now they could have found the cornerback to play opposite of him in a couple of years. Auburn was invested in Williams too, and they worked him hard, but the in-state Tigers never seemed to be on the same level as Alabama in this one.

THE BREAKDOWN

Alabama is getting a cornerback with length, quickness, athleticism and true upside. You see his quickness and speed instantly when watching his tape because he was asked to play a lot of wide receiver last year due to team needs. His ball skills are strong and he is not scared to stick his hat in there against the run or if he's asked to blitz off the corner. He has a great frame and he is going to add good weight. He could be a combo defensive back, but he is likely to start out at cornerback. He is still a little raw in technique, but this season he will focus mostly on defense, so he will go into Alabama prepared to compete for playing time.