Two on top for Williams

Academics are playing a major role in the decision-making process for junior athlete Juwaan Williams of Tucker (Ga.), so it isn't surprising which colleges currently are tied at the top of his leaderboard.

"Right now, it would be Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech,' Williams told Rivals.com.

The Commodores like the 6-feet-1, 180-pounder, who quarterbacked his team to a state title in 2011, at receiver. The Yellow Jackets are recruiting him as a quarterback, but told him he could see action at defensive back or receiver "if I'm not ready to compete [as a signal caller] my first year."

Here's what Williams likes most about the schools he called his co-leaders:

Vanderbilt - "The academic part of it is wonderful. If I chose to go there, I can't go wrong with the academics. My major is pre-med, and they have a great medical school there that would fit me perfectly. And it's in the SEC. It's the best of both worlds. I've been there three times and every time I go, I get a sense that I feel welcome. I feel like I'm already part of the team. All the coaches know my name and they're just genuine. They want to see me succeed on and off the field."

Georgia Tech - "Just being the home school helps. They have a great academic program there. They don't have a medical program, but they have some type of agreement with Emory where I can go there after grad school. I like the [football team's] system. It's the same system that I'm running at my high school. I would just have to transfer the language. I think I've been there four times counting the spring game. It would give my parents an unlimited opportunity to come see me and I can go home for a home-cooked meal almost every day."

All told, Williams claims 19 offers. His most recent came earlier this week from Middle Tennessee. Florida State, which also has offered, sits in the No. 3 spot behind Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech, he said.

"I visited there for the spring game and it was wonderful," Williams said. "I didn't know the campus was that close knit. Everything was approximately a five or 10-minute walk. Me and Coach [Dameyune] Craig just jelled. Our relationship got stronger as the day went on."

What's next?

"I plan on visiting Clemson, Alabama and Auburn at some point," Williams said. "I'm going to cut my list to the top 10 after my spring game. Then I'll cut it to the top five in August."

Keith Niebuhr can be reached at Keithrivals@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KeithRIVALS.