2/20/2019 football Edit

2020 defensive back Joel Williams has LSU in top-3 after latest visit

Glen West • Death Valley Insider

Staff

LSU football hosted a number of instate 2020 and 2021 prospects this past weekend, one of them being four-star defensive back Joel Williams.

Williams is a 2020 recruit out of Madison Prep Academy and has been a hot commodity for a number of SEC schools including LSU. Besides LSU, Williams has picked up offers from Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Yet it’s the hometown Tigers that Williams is continually drawn too as the 2020 defensive back, who grew up 20 minutes from the stadium, has the Tigers in his top-3.

Williams was initially recruited by the Tigers in his sophomore year as a receiver but has since been recruited as a cornerback and safety. Rivals currently has Williams as the No. 2 corner in the state and the No. 9 corner in the 2020 class.

While Williams is quite familiar with LSU, the soon to be senior admits that it’s going to be a long thought process before he dials in on a commitment.

“I’ve been an LSU fan a long time,” Williams said. “A lot of people are telling me to stay but I don’t know. It’s going to be a hard decision. They show a lot of love to me so I try to come whenever I can.”

On his visit, Williams was able to speak with a few players, like Todd Harris, and believes he can fit in any scheme that LSU and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda has for him.

“I like their scheme a lot because I know I could play as a freshman,” Williams said. “I’ve talked to a ton of players on the team so they’ve been recruiting me as much as the coaching staff has.”

One of the problems that Williams has faced is he’s not sure exactly what specific role he’d have with the team as LSU wants him all over the field, which the junior corner likes.

While there aren’t any specific nuances that Williams wants to work on in his game besides just improving in all aspects, Williams does think that one of the big reasons LSU has recruited him was diversity in the defensive backfield and length.

“I’ve got a lot to improve on because I’m never satisfied,” Williams said. “I just want to get better and better each day. LSU thinks I can play every position on defense so that confidence they have in me is very encouraging.”