Commitment breakdown: Rivals250 RB Justin Williams lands at WVU
Justin Williams has seen tremendous physical development throughout his high school career but the Rivals250 running back out of Dallas (Ga.) East Paulding didn't start picking up Power Five offers until this past October. Williams amassed a pretty impressive offer sheet since then and narrowed down his choices to Louisville, Nebraska, and West Virginia but the Mountaineers were the lucky team to land his commitment.
*****
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals100
RIVALS TRANSFER TRACKER: Stories/coverage | Message board
RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Info/coverage on 2021 camp series
*****
WHAT THE MOUNTAINEERS ARE GETTING
Williams is a powerful downhill running back with impressive quickness and elusiveness in the open field. He isn't afraid to run over a defender but he can also make them miss when he gets to the second and third levels of the defense. Williams has shown off pretty reliable hands as a receiver out of the backfield and can run routes well enough to give quarterbacks plenty of room to make the pass. His physical style also helps when he's asked to help in pass protection. He doesn't have a ton of game experience pass blocking but he certainly has the skills to be very effective in this area at the next level.
WHY IT'S BIG FOR WEST VIRGINIA
There were a few other schools that really make Williams wrestle with this decision but it always seemed like West Virginia was going to end up with his commitment. The Mountaineers prioritized Williams from the day they offered him and it paid off. Williams should find his way into their depth chart pretty quickly and he could develop into their primary back after a year or two. West Virginia will have to recruit Williams all the way to Signing Day because other teams will surely try to flip him later in the process.