Take Two: How much of a factor are the Vols for Joel Williams?
MORE TAKE TWO: Is Clemson a lock for five-star Bryan Bresee?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network.
THE STORYLINE
Joel Williams made a statement recently when he showed up to the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas wearing a Tennessee sweatshirt.
Not only did the four-star cornerback from Baton Rouge (La.) Madison Prep Academy wear his interest in the Volunteers at the camp, he talked about it as well, saying he talks regularly with the coaching staff and that they’re incredibly aggressive in trying to land his commitment.
Tennessee is squarely in the recruitment of Williams, who has more than 40 offers and it looks like many other SEC programs are heavily pursuing him.
Rated No. 10 at cornerback nationally, Williams just took a visit to Florida and its success producing defensive backs has to be top of mind. Of course, LSU is right there for the Baton Rouge prospect and there’s no question the Tigers are going to play a role. Texas A&M has been a major contender for the four-star prospect and Jimbo Fisher is one of the best recruiters in the country. Georgia is another program that has to be accounted for. There are reports that Williams will visit Texas this weekend.
Was Williams wearing a Tennessee sweatshirt to a camp a big deal at all, a smokescreen or was the four-star cornerback trying to make a statement that maybe the Vols are the team to beat in his recruitment?
FIRST TAKE: SAM SPIEGELMAN, TEXAS & LOUISIANA RECRUITING ANALYST
“I legitimately think Tennessee is a player, but Joel is doing a good job of keeping a lot of schools in the fold. In addition to Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Texas A&M and LSU are all in the picture among others. Even though he’s a Baton Rouge kid, he’s eyeing plenty of out-of-state schools and he’s taking the time to visit all of them and keep in touch with all of them. While LSU is a legitimate player, they’re on an even playing field with those other schools including Tennessee and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him playing football outside of Louisiana next year.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR
“Tennessee could get him. Not every kid is going to stay home. It’s tough to beat LSU for those home-state kids if they want them, so it depends on how much love LSU and some other programs show him. Right now, Tennessee is recruiting him the hardest and sometimes that trumps anything geographically. I wouldn’t count LSU out just because he wore a Tennessee hoodie to a camp, but I also wouldn’t say Tennessee could be counted out, especially if they keep recruiting him this hard.”
