Nebraska received another addition to its 2021 recruiting class when Buford (Georgia) High 3-star (HV Rating: 82.8) defensive back from Malik Williams committed Tuesday afternoon. He announced his decision on Twitter.
Thanks to the following for pushing me: @dareu_i @leanthonywilli3 @Coach_Davis22 @CoachTFisher @CoachBeckton @coach_frost @HuskerFBNation @SeanDillonNU @kiaporter80 @leanthonywilliamsjr @buford_football @BufordGAPrspcts @ChadSimmons_ @247Sports @Rivals @hjp_ii pic.twitter.com/KzUxNxlVl2
— Malik Williams (@malik112201) July 21, 2020
Williams (6-0, 170) has been on Nebraska’s radar since his freshman year of high school. He was offered by Nebraska as a sophomore. That’s when his relationship with the Huskers started to blossom.
“I knew that it was a school that I would go to for sure when they first offered me,” Williams told Hail Varsity. “I was looking at Nebraska way before they offered me. I was looking up their school and trying to get to know the coaches by looking them up. I wanted to see how they were as people and coaches. I just really liked how they got things handled up there.”
Fellow Georgian and current Nebraska defensive back Myles Farmer is close with Williams. The pair talk about Nebraska often, which is partially what sparked Williams’ interest in the Huskers. Farmer told Williams about the coaches and how they interact with the players and how much he likes the program.
He already has a good relationship with future position coach Travis Fisher and has gotten to know Coach Scott Frost too.
“Me and Coach Fisher have a good relationship,” Williams said. “We talk almost every day. It’s pretty cool. My parents and I talk to Coach Frost a lot too. Coach Frost seems like a cool coach. He’s someone I can vibe with. I really like the coaches there.”
The latest Huskers commit is also friends and teammates with Husker commit Gabe Ervin. In a twist, Williams was the one recruiting Ervin to Nebraska even though the running back publicly committed first.
“I had been trying to get Gabe to ride in the boat with me since Nebraska offered,” Williams said. “Then when I committed because I’ve been a silent commit. I tried to get Gabe to commit too for a while. He was kind of looking to Georgia a little bit so he didn’t pay too much mind to it. When he committed I was happy for him.”
The defender has almost 20 scholarship offers at this point from the Big Ten, SEC and Pac-12. Williams said Kentucky, Mississippi, Florida and Arizona State were the schools that contacted him the most besides Nebraska. He counts the strengths of his game as fast, athletic, long and having good technique.
For now, he’s happy that he found what he is looking for in a future college.
“I was just looking for family,” Williams said. “I was looking for a bond. They really take care of their players at Nebraska. Nebraska has a good school system too that I looked up. I want to go into computer technology.”
Williams is the 14th known commitment of Nebraska’s 2021 recruiting class. He joins Lardarius Webb and Marques Buford for Fisher’s group in the class. He has yet to decide if he will arrive in Lincoln in January as an early enrollee or wait to arrive until summer.
https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10326534/5d8f6ed038636e0c20968e0d
