Nebraska next for Williams

DALLAS - Nebraska has had its collective eye on Lee's Summit (Mo.) West running back Ryan Williams for a while. The courtship has dragged on and the conversations have been frequent. There have been visits and there have been phone calls.

The only thing missing here is a scholarship offer.

Williams remains hopeful. Even before he landed on the list of top running backs at the Rivals250 Underclassmen Challenge presented by Under-Armour, optimism had taken hold. Ask Williams, a prospect in the class of 2015, where he stands with the Huskers' coaching staff, and he relays a direct message.

"They say they want to see my first three games to see how I come out his season," he said. "After that, they'll give me an offer."

And should Nebraska decide it wants Williams in the fold, it will have a plenty of help closing the deal. Williams lives on the same street as Nebraska commit Monte Harrison, a four-star wide receiver. The two are close and talk every day. So if the Huskers need a little extra juice in Williams' recruitment, it will never be far away.

"Monte is my neighbor, so we're together a lot," Williams said. "He said that if Nebraska offer, I better take it. I like Nebraska a lot, so if they do offer, they'll be one of my top schools to choose from for sure."

Williams was in attendance for Nebraska's recent Big Red Weekend but left without a formal invitation to join the team. He won't say whether or not he expected one during his trip, but Williams, who already holds three other offers, says things are heating up across the board .

Nebraska might just have plenty of company on his list should it decide to pull the trigger down the road.

"There are a lot more schools really recruiting me a lot now," Williams said. "Arkansas, Kansas, Kansas State, Indiana, Iowa State .. they're all getting really involved."

Williams has plans to visit Arkansas in the near future. But while he may be hitting the road and hoping for more offers, he hasn't forgotten the programs that have already made things official.

"Missouri is my favorite right now," Williams said. "They're big for me. They treat me like I'm family already. I grew up an Arkansas fan, but Missouri is cool. They treat me like I'm they're son or something. If Arkansas an Nebraska offer it will be between those three."

Regardless of what options appear in the year ahead, Williams plans to wait until next summer to make a verbal commitment.