November 22, 2024

ESPN REPORT: Four-star Auburn CB commit Devin Williams sets official visit to Texas” After….

Longhorns set to host a committed prospect from Georgia.

The summer official visitor list continues to grow for Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorn coaching staff. As June draws closer, we are starting to see more and more names make arrangements to make their way to Austin to have the red carpet rolled out for them, and yesterday another SEC commit added his name to the ledger.

Four star Buford (Ga.) cornerback Devin Williams has been committed to Auburn since February and scheduled to be in Auburn for an official visit on the weekend of June 14th. On Tuesday, Williams announced via his Twitter page that he has set an official visit to see Texas the following weekend beginning on the 21st.

As of Wednesday, Williams only has the two official visits setup for the month of June. With the trip to Auburn being right before his trip to Texas it will be interesting to see if Hugh Freeze and his staff take measures to shut down his recruitment to prevent him from seeing another destination.

The Longhorns have already had some attrition at the position this offseason and they are set to have more departures following 2024, so they are staying busy to try to replenish the talent pipeline at corner.

Here is 247Sports’ Andrew Irvin on what Williams brings to the table as a player:

A potential coverage ace for a Power Five contender. Believed to be on the smaller side and under 5-foot-11, but owns some of the better track times in the 2025 cycle and has flashed elite short-area quickness along with superb body control. Won a pair of gold medals as an eighth grader at the Georgia Middle School State Championship and has gone as low as 10.65 in the 100-meter dash. High-IQ type of defender that can anticipate routes and put himself in position to make plays. Got plenty of burn on offense as a junior and proved to be a reliable deep target for five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola and at one point was averaging 27.5 yards per catch. Ball skills are impressive for his age and highlight tape is full of clips where he puts his body on the line to move the chains. Hasn’t been asked to press a ton of wide receivers, but has the skill set to thrive in a slot corner role if he can add some core strength and refine technique. Should be viewed as a potential impact player in the secondary that can help slow down pass-happy attacks.

Williams is rated as the 22nd-ranked cornerback prospect in the country for the 2025 cycle according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, and the same metrics have him rated as the 186th-ranked player overall in the nation.

 

 

The Longhorns pay back their Red River rivals for landing Damonic Williams last week.

A week after the Texas Longhorns lost out on former TCU Horned Frogs defensive tackle Damonic Williams to the Oklahoma Sooners, head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff used that decision to their advantage, flipping former Louisville Cardinals defensive tackle Jermayne Lole from the Sooners.

The 6’3, 310-pounder has one year of eligibility remaining and becomes the third defensive tackle the Longhorns have added through the NCAA transfer portal this offseason, joining former Wildcats Tia Savea and Bill Norton. Lole is ranked as the No. 867 player in the 247Sports NCAA transfer portal rankings and the No. 88 defensive lineman.

Lole entered the portal as soon as the spring transfer window opened last month, departing Louisville despite originally announcing his intentions to return for a final season after he was granted a medical redshirt for the 2022 season, in which he appeared in two games before suffering a season-ending elbow injury.

Oklahoma was able to secure an official visit from Lole during their spring game and he committed two days later, but that wasn’t enough to ensure he’ll finish his college football career in Norman. Instead, he’ll line up across the field from the Sooners in burnt orange and white in the Cotton Bowl.

In nine starts and 12 overall appearances for the Cardinals in 2023, Lole bounced back from two injury-plagued seasons to finish with 19 tackles, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and two pass break ups. The Long Beach product had also missed the entire 2021 season at Arizona State with a triceps injury.

The injuries derailed a promising start to Lole’s career with the Sun Devils — over three seasons and 28 appearances at Arizona State, he recorded 123 tackles, 20.0 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, eight pass deflections, and two forced fumbles.

As a member of the 2018 recruiting class, Lole was a consensus three-star prospect out of Long Beach Poly ranked as the No. 551 player nationally and the No. 24 strong-side defensive end, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Lole chose Arizona State over 13 other offers, including Arizona and Tennessee, among others, also taking official visits to San Diego State and Washington State.

Now Lole is poised to compete with Savea, Norton, and senior Vernon Broughton for the starting spot opposite senior Alfred Collins, filling the final major need along the defensive line as new position coach Kenny Baker attempts to replace Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat, the nation’s top two interior defensive linemen in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *