Williams lives up to hype

The week prior to the SoCal NIKE Camp, Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure coach Jon Mack told us he wasn't sure if his standout defensive back Michael Williams would be able to work out. Williams was nursing an injury and was about '75%' according to Mack. Well, not only did the Rivals pre-season 100 member work out, he ended up among the top 10 players in the entire camp.

Williams, 5-11, 185 pounds is one of the most versatile defensive backs in the region with the ability to play safety or corner in college. He compares favorably to former Seraph and current Notre Dame DB Terrail Lambert. Lambert is thicker and has more speed but we feel Williams is the better all around football player.

The athlete clocked a 4.67 in the 40, 4.22 in the shuttle, jumped a camp best 39 inches in the vertical and did 22 reps on the bench. His 94.64 SPARQ Rating was second best in the camp and also second best after two stops on the NIKE tour thus far.

Williams drew raves from the staff of DB coaches as well during the position drills with many saying he looks like a prototype free safety. The athlete is physically strong with great instincts and is very coachable. He has great range and is a natural athlete on the field. Although he does have good cover skills, we also feel safety is his best college position and he could be the top free safety prospect in the state.

On the recruiting front, Williams has offers from schools all over the country but said three schools stand out at this time.

"Notre Dame, Michigan and Northwestern, those are my three favorites and all three have offered," Williams said. "I'm going to visit all three schools this month. Notre Dame's Spring game is this weekend and I'll be at that and then I'm going to visit Michigan and Northwestern while I'm out there.

"I'm enjoying the recruiting process right now and don't have any plans to make a decision right away. There is a lot of time left and I still want to check out some other schools before making a firm commitment anywhere."