5-star LB receives new commitment prediction; Ducks ’50-50′ to land him

Dan Lanning is going toe-to-toe with his mentor for the No. 1 LB in the 2024 class.

The Oregon Ducks have long been thought of as the team that led in the recruitment of 5-star linebacker Justin Williams, the No. 1 ranked LB in the 2024 class.

Dan Lanning and the Ducks got in on Williams early. They developed a relationship with the elite defender long before many of the other big schools extended an offer, and the 247Sports Crystal Ball has favored Oregon since October of 2022.

But it doesn’t matter how early you were when the Georgia Bulldogs come knocking. The two-time defending champions will always pose the toughest threats on the recruiting trail.

That’s what the Ducks are currently dealing with. While the past few months have seen Williams take a pair of visits to Athens, Oregon has held on as the perceived favorite to get a verbal commitment from the LB who is rated by 247Sports as the No. 11 player in the class.

Momentum has shifted, though. On Monday morning, On3’s Sam Spiegelman placed an expert prediction for Williams to land with the Bulldogs.

The Ducks still hold a lead in the battle according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, but Williams said that at this point, it is about a 50-50 proposition for the decision that he hopes to make within the next month.

While Lanning has a history with Williams and a track record of coaching elite linebackers and dominant defenses, Georgia has the rings, and just received a commitment from Oak Ridge teammate Joseph Jonah-Ajonye last week.

Will the Ducks be able to hold on in the end and land the second-highest-rated LB in program history? It’s going to be a tough battle, but we will likely find out within the next month.

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