Williams sees other side of The Game
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Growing up in Jackson, Ohio, 2015 linebacker Reagan Williams has always looked at the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry from a scarlet-and-gray perspective. On Saturday, however, the four-star prospect attended the annual showdown as a Michigan recruiting guest.
"It was interesting, to say the least," Williams said. "I've always been a big Buckeye fan, so it was different right when I got there, but as soon as I got in the recruiting lounge and talked to some of the coaches they just really made me feel welcome and it got harder to hate them."
Saturday's trip to Ann Arbor was Williams' first time being on the Michigan campus, and first time meeting the Wolverines coaching staff.
"I actually got to talk to pretty much every position coach," Williams said. "They were all real nice and real positive with me. They definitely recognized me and all said it was nice to have me up there.
"A few of them I talked to said they haven't had a chance to view this year's film because they have been pretty focused on Ohio State week, but said starting today they would start evaluating."
While Williams was not sure how he would feel about being in Ann Arbor going into the visit, his view of the Michigan program was much clearer coming out.
"With the way they put everything together, it was probably one of the best visits I've been to," Williams said. "They were all really welcoming and you could tell it is a family atmosphere at Michigan. I definitely gained a lot of respect for them."
Prior to Michigan, Williams has seen games at Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame this season. His next scheduled visit is to Cincinnati for their Thursday night game this week.
Ohio and Kent State remain the only two offers for the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Williams, but he is looking forward to adding more in the off-season.
"The next step is I started sending out some film to teams I am interested in and are interested in me," Williams said. "Illinois talked to me about (the film) and told me they really liked my film."
Illinois, Michigan State and several additional schools have told Williams they plan to stop by his school this winter to meet with his coach.
Josh Helmholdt is the Midwest Region football recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.
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