Texas LB grabs SEC offer, eyes big spring

Frisco (Texas) Wakeland three-star outside linebacker Justice Williams continues to attract attention from college coaches. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound standout was a playmaker on both sides of the ball, but the college interest has come exclusively on the defensive side of the ball.

Williams is just fine with being a defensive recruit.

"My first love growing up was offense but as I got older I feel like defense is the way to go," Williams said.

Over the weekend, Williams and his father spent time in the Magnolia state. The first stop was to Southern Miss where his brother, K.J. Williams, is a walk-on for the Golden Eagles.

"Yeah, my brother goes there so we took a weekend to go see them. I met the whole staff and watched the practice and it was cool," Williams said. "They said they wanted to offer but they wanted to come down and see me during spring ball and if everything looks good they'll probably offer."

The next stop on the trip was in Starkville to check out Mississippi State's spring game. It is safe to say the visit left a strong impression.

"First thing, the campus was huge, and how many fans showed up for a spring game was really cool," Williams said.

He was able to experience quite a bit in his trip to Starkville. He met with head coach Dan Mullen before and after the game, and then sat down with coach Mullen and defensive coordinator Geoff Collins. Then the Bulldogs let him know he had an offer, and just like that the Bulldogs are firmly in the mix for his talents.

"Oh definitely, I loved it there," Williams said. "It was really cool."

Mississippi State joins Tulsa, Illinois, Indiana, and Louisiana Tech on Williams' offer list. He is keeping an open mind and does not really have a decision timetable or even certain factors he is looking for in a college program. However, he did admit one of his scholarship offers has caught his attention.

"I haven't done enough research on most of them but if I had to pick a leader I'd probably say it is Mississippi State," Williams said. "The campus was really nice, the coaching staff was really cool, the facilities were great, and everything about them I could tell was really nice. It was awesome."

In addition to his offers, several teams are showing interest. In fact, this spring is setting up to be very big for Williams.

"Most of the schools that are interested in me have said at this point we're coming down in the spring and if we like you then as much as we like you now we'll probably pull the trigger," Williams said.

Oregon, Wake Forest, Iowa, and Virginia are among the schools who have let him know they will be in town to get a firsthand look, with Wake Forest, Iowa, and Virginia keep in touch on a weekly basis.