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Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff Writer
Five-star outside linebacker Justin Williams committed to Georgia on Monday night.
Williams, the top-ranked outside linebacker in the ESPN 300 and the No. 14 overall prospect in the 2024 cycle, adds to the Bulldogs’ top-ranked class by becoming the third five-star recruit to agree to play for Kirby Smart’s program, joining cornerback Ellis Robinson IV (No. 1 overall) and quarterback Dylan Raiola (No. 2 overall).
Williams, who hails from Oak Ridge High School in Conroe, Texas, chose Georgia over Oregon. He visited the two campuses for official visits on successive weekends in June.
“It was just learning about technique, just how to improve your game, with linebackers coach [Glenn] Schumann and everything,” Williams told ESPN of his official visit June 23-25. “[Player development assistant] Coach [LeJacque] Martin, we were talking about just where I fit in with the program and stuff like that. Coming in as an early enrollee, just talking about my faith in God and stuff like that and all the coaches have given me a lot of fundamentals that I can use just to improve my game.”
With Williams now in the fold, Georgia now has 10 top-100 prospects as part of a class that features 18 ESPN 300 pledges and the top two outside linebackers — Williams and Demarcus Riddick.
Georgia isn’t resting on its laurels after claiming back-to-back national championships and seeing its defense end the last two seasons in the top two nationally in scoring defense — first in 2021 (9.5 PPG) and second in 2022 (12.8 PPG).
Williams could eventually plug into a group that ended last season ninth in the country in total defense (292.1 YPG) and second in 2021 (253.9 YPG). The Bulldogs’ top two tacklers, juniors linebackers Smael Mondon Jr. (76 tackles; 49 solo) and Jamon Dumas-Johnson (70 tackles; 45 solo), return this year.
“I think I’ll fit in good,” Williams said. “I think I’m a physical guy. I think I play into everything that they do. I love how they’re a blitz team, they’re a Christian team and I think I can fit into that a lot.”
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Williams earned 2022 Texas District 13-6A Defensive Player of the Year honors after recording 105 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 8½ sacks for the War Eagles.
“I’m speedy a little bit,” he said. “I’d say I get to the ball pretty fast. I think I can prove just getting off of blocks, just reading the line a little bit more. So getting my eyes a little bit better. I think my coverage is all right. But when it comes to chances to cover, I can prove that a little bit.”
Earlier this month, Williams’ high school teammate, defensive end Joseph Jonah-Ajonye (No. 21 overall), committed to Georgia, which he called his “dream school.”
Williams is elated to be able to join his close friend in Athens and continuing to forge a bond that has been tight since their first days at Oak Ridge.
“Me and Joseph, we’re like brothers,” he said. “We go about [our work] on the field together, we go and put our work in off the field. We just talk about all this recruiting stuff. At the end of the day, that’s my homie, that’s my ride or die.”