Georgia football makes final two for five-star prospect

Georgia football makes the final two for five-star prospect James Williams.

2021 5-star athlete James Williams has released his final two schools.

It’s down to Georgia and Miami for the nation’s No. 1 ranked athlete, who hails from Plantation, Florida and plays for powerhouse American Heritage.

Currently, according to 247Sports, Georgia is the favorite to land Williams, with nine expert predictions going in Kirby Smart and the Dawgs’ favor. He was once committed to Miami, but backed off that commitment a little over a year ago.

Williams ranks as the nation’s No. 10 overall recruit, No. 1 athlete and No. 1 player in the state of Florida.

At 6-foot-5 and nearly 220 pounds, Williams’ size (particularly his length) is rare for a defensive back. Smart, a former safety, and defensive backs coach Charlton Warren would have big plans for a player with the speed and vision necessary to play both strong and free safety combined with the size and physicality to play STAR.

That speed and vision give the out-of-state standout the ability to quickly diagnose plays and react accordingly. Whether he joins the Dawgs or the local Hurricanes, he is capable of making an immediate impact as a true freshman.

A look at some of Georgia’s top recruiting targets for 2021 class

We list our top-10 Georgia Football targets for the 2021 recruiting class.

Georgia currently holds the No. 12 ranked recruiting class overall and the 3rd best class in the SEC behind Florida and Tennessee. (link to sec class story here)

The Bulldogs hold seven commitments for their 2021 class which is led by 5-star QB Brock Vandagriff, 4-star OT Micah Morris and 4-star ATH David Daniel.

With much of the recruiting cycle still remaining, there are still plenty of great young prospects the Bulldogs will be pursuing over the next year or so.

Here is our list of some of Georgia’s top recruiting targets for the class of 2021. Just because a player is not listed does not mean Georgia is not targeting him.

All rankings via 247Sports:

  1. 5-star OT Amarius Mims (Cochran, GA)
  2. 5-star DB Tony Grimes (Virginia Beach, VA)
  3. 5-star S James Williams (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
  4. 5-star DT Leonard Taylor (Miami, FL)
  5. 5-star DT Mason Smith (Houma, LA)
  6. 5-star OLB Smael Mondon (Dallas, GA)
  7. 4-star DB Isaiah Johnson (Bluefield, WV)
  8. 4-star RB Donovan Edwards (West Bloomfield, MI)
  9. 4-star LB Barrett Carter (Suwanee, GA)
  10. 4-star DE Quintin Somerville (Scottsdale, AZ)
  11. 4-star WR Mario Williams (Plant City, FL)
  12. 4-star OLB Xavien Sorey (Graceville, FL)
  13. 4-star WR Chris Hilton (Zachary, LA)
  14. 4-star CB Nyland Green (Covington, GA)
  15. 4-star TE Brock Bowers (Napa, CA)

Will Georgia football land three of 2021’s top-ten recruits?

Georgia football is predicted to land three of the nation’s top-ten recruits in the 2021 recruiting cycle.

Right now, Georgia has the nation’s 17th ranked recruiting class for the 2021 cycle.

Headlining Georgia’s class is 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff out of Bogart, Georgia. Vandagriff ranks as the No. 12 overall player in the country.

Aside from Vandagriff, Kirby Smart has secured commitments from 4-star athlete David Daniel and 3-star defensive tackle Marlin Dean.

For the time being, recruiting is suspended nationwide as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. That includes both on and off campus recruiting.

As far as recruiting goes, it’s not time to hit the panic button based on Georgia’s No. 17 ranking. Smart has secured the nation’s No. 1 class three years in a row and is on a quest to make it four. This year, though, it’ll just take a bit longer to climb up the rankings than in years past.

Related: Georgia’s top defensive targets for 2021 – can UGA land three 5-star DBs?

Related: Georgia’s top offensive recruiting targets for the class of 2021

When recruiting picks back up, Georgia will find itself in prime position for three of America’s top-ten recruits.

According to 247Sport’s Crystal Ball predictions, the Bulldogs are seen as the favorites to land the nation’s No. 6, 7 and 8 ranked recruits. Additionally, outside of the top-ten, Georgia is viewed as the leader for the No. 23 recruit.

Let’s start from the top.


No. 6 overall: James Williams

The No. 6 overall recruit, James Williams, is a safety out of Opa Locka, Florida. In February, Williams released a top-three of Georgia, Alabama, and Clemson.

The five-star junior is the state of Florida’s top prospect both at the safety position and overall as per 247Sports, which currently projects him as a 100% Bulldog lean according to seven recruiting analysts.

At six-foot-five and nearly 220 pounds, Williams’ size (particularly his length) is rare for a defensive back. Head coach Kirby Smart, a former safety, and defensive backs coach Charlton Warren would have big plans for a player with the speed and vision necessary to play both strong and free safety combined with the size and physicality to play STAR.

That speed and vision give the out-of-state standout the ability to quickly diagnose plays and react accordingly. Whether he joins the Dawgs, Tide, or Tigers, three programs which have dominated the past three years’ recruiting cycles, he is capable of making an immediate impact on a playoff-caliber team as a true freshman.

Georgia football is trending for 2021’s top CB Tony Grimes

After a fourth prediction of the nation’s top safety prospect choosing Georgia, the first-ranked cornerback is trending toward the Bulldogs.

It would appear that fellow five-stars Tony Grimes and James Williams want to play their college ball together.

Following a fourth prediction of the nation’s top safety prospect choosing Georgia by the recruiting analysts at 247.com, the first-ranked cornerback recruit is trending toward the Bulldogs as well.

Both out-of-state standouts, Grimes hails from Virginia Beach and was long expected to lean toward in-state Virginia Tech while the Floridian Williams has been predicted to be all Dawg since early August of 2019.

Each player is the highest-ranked at their respective positions and in their respective states. Though Williams has yet to set a commitment date, Grimes has scheduled his for the first morning of December.

If head coach Kirby Smart and defensive backs coach Charlton Warren can land the pair, it will make Georgia’s 2021 recruiting class the second in as many years to include the country’s top cornerback, assuming the enrollment of electrifying 2020 signee Kelee Ringo. Williams would be the highest-ranked safety to pledge to the Dawgs since beloved rising senior Richard LeCounte signed with Georgia in 2017.

And if the two are a package deal, Athens, Georgia wants a delivery.

Georgia football top recruiting targets for class of 2021

Here’s a look at the top Georgia football recruiting targets for 2021

Georgia football wrapped up a 2020 recruiting class that ranked No. 1 in America.

Right now for the class of 2021, the Bulldogs have two commitments for a class that currently ranks No. 24.

Those two commitments are pretty big, however. The headliner for this class is, and will continue to be, 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff (Bogart, Ga.), the No. 1 ranked quarterback and No. 8 player overall.

Accompanying Vandagriff as the only other commit in this class is 4-star defensive back David Daniel (Woodstock, Ga.). Daniel, who is recruited as a safety, is considered an athlete on 247Sports and ranks as the nation’s 45th player.

Until both Vandagriff and Daniel officially sign with Georgia roughly a year from now, Kirby Smart and staff will continue to recruit both of them heavily. But there’s still 20+ others guys that Smart will need to land a commitment from for the 2021 class, and we are taking a look at a few players that should be Georgia’s biggest targets.

Here are Georgia’s top targets for 2021:

OFFENSE

5-star OT Amarius Mims

Amarius Mims is 2021’s Broderick Jones, who was Georgia’s 5-star offensive tackle in the 2020 class.

At nearly six-foot-eight and 320 pounds, the junior out of Cochran, GA is already considered to be a Georgia lean. As per 247Sports, 100 percent of recruiting experts predict he will enroll at the University of Georgia.

Mims recently released a top-12 that included Georgia and a plethora of other SEC powerhouses.

He is the ranked as the No. 13 player in the country.

5-star RB Will Shipley

5-star running back Will Shipley is a priority recruit for just about every major program in the country.

Ranking as the nation’s No. 21 overall player and No. 1 all-purpose back, Shipley could join Tim Worley, Todd Gurley, Keith Marshall and Zamir White as the next great Georgia running back out of North Carolina.

Shipley comes from Weddington High School in a town about 5 minutes south of Charlotte where he has a 4.375 grade-point average.

He clocked a 4.46 40 time, rushed for 2,066 rushing yards last season and averaged 11 yards per carry.

Georgia coaches have been in contact with Shipley, with Kirby Smart and Dell McGee both visiting separately.

4-star OT Micah Morris

Another offensive lineman, Micah Morris is a 4-star out of Kingsland, Georgia.

He ranks as the nation’s No. 44 overall player and No. 7 ranked tackle. It looks like right now it’s mainly between Georgia and South Carolina.

Morris, 6-4, 316 pounds, visited Georgia on February 1st.

4-star WR Jaquez Smith

Right now, Georgia is the favorite to land 4-star wide receiver Jaquez Smith out of Westlake High School in Atlanta.

Smith, who ranks as the No. 136 overall player in the 2021 class, is being recruited by a lot of the usual suspects. He visited Georgia for last season’s Notre Dame game

Smith could compliment freshman George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock in future seasons.

4-star RB Evan Pryor

I think Georgia could bring in two running backs for the 2021 class and Evan Pryor would be a player to keep an eye on regardless of what happens with Shipley.

Pryor ranks as the nation’s No. 86 overall player and 6th ranked running back. He, like Shipley, also hails from North Carolina, in a town called Cornelius. Much like Shipley’s hometown of Weddington, Cornelius is a city that is on the outskirts of Charlotte, so it’s an ok bet to assume the two high profile backs have crossed paths multiple times.

The last time Georgia brought in two running backs from North Carolina we saw Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall takeover the SEC and put up wild numbers. Pryor recently visited Georgia, and the Dawgs will do their best to land the speedy ball carrier.

NEXT: DEFENSE

Georgia’s top defensive targets for 2021; can UGA land three 5-star DBs?

Can Georgia football land three 5-star defensive backs for this recruiting cycle? Here are UGA’s top targets.

Georgia football wrapped up a 2020 recruiting class that ranked No. 1 in America.

Right now for the class of 2021, the Bulldogs have two commitments for a class that currently ranks No. 24.

Those two commitments are pretty big, however. The headliner for this class is, and will continue to be, 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff (Bogart, Ga.), the No. 1 ranked quarterback and No. 8 player overall.

Accompanying Vandagriff as the only other commit in this class is 4-star defensive back David Daniel (Woodstock, Ga.). Daniel, who is recruited as a safety, is considered an athlete on 247Sports and ranks as the nation’s 45th player.

Until both Vandagriff and Daniel officially sign with Georgia roughly a year from now, Kirby Smart and staff will continue to recruit both of them heavily. But there’s still 20+ others guys that Smart will need to land a commitment from for the 2021 class, and we are taking a look at a few players that should be Georgia’s biggest targets.

These are defensive players only – we will have an offensive one as well.

Here are some of Georgia’s top defensive targets for 2021:

1. DB James Williams

Williams is a 5-star safety out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, an area that Georgia traditionally recruits very well.

Ranked as the No. 1 safety and No. 5 player in the entire class, Williams holds offers from just about everywhere, but Georgia is considered the favorite as of now according to 247Sports. Williams is a freak of nature at 6-5, 218 pounds. He’s projected to be a safety at the moment, but this guy is not done forming. He could very well end up as a linebacker.

2. DB Tony Grimes

Another 5-star defensive back, Tony Grimes (Virginia Beach, Va.) is the No. 1 cornerback in the country and the No. 10 overall player.

Grimes visited Georgia recently for junior day and it was supposedly a great visit. Georgia is very much in it for Grimes and right now the other two leaders appear to be Virginia Tech and Texas A&M.

Wisconsin CB James Williams walks away from football

James Williams ends his playing career

A college football career ended before it could ever get off the ground. Wisconsin Badgers freshman cornerback James Williams, trying to make his way back from an injury, decided to end his playing career on Friday.

He made a statement on Twitter, with errors being corrected to reflect actual dates and a consistent chronology:

“On September 11, 2018, I tore my meniscus, and I, being the person I am, and the way I love the game so much, I decided to continue to play and finish out my senior season (of high school). After the season I decided to get surgery. After the season I decided to get surgery, and I knew I would miss at least the first couple games of my college career, but I was okay with that because I won my school a state championship, and that was all that mattered at the time. I did my rehab over the summer and the first two weeks of fall camp I tore my meniscus again. Had my second surgery for the same meniscus on August 23, 2019. After my second surgery my knee didn’t get any better, and unfortunately I will be receiving my third surgery for my meniscus on February 12, 2020. Unfortunately this surgery will lead to the end of my football career.”

In a tweet, Williams said, “Gonna miss it so much.”

The toll this sport takes on the human body is well-known and considerable. That is something outsiders (fans and commentators) can easily see and grasp. This is a brutal collision sport, and even when not referring to the contact and physical pounding that are part of football, this can be a violent sport in other ways as well.

Football doesn’t just involve hitting and tackling; it also requires violent and abrupt movements from players. Making cuts and jab steps; quickly turning around or shifting direction; planting feet and just as readily bouncing toward the next movement needed to perform a task. Players have to make split-second decisions, and the body needs to cooperate with those decisions. Any hesitation or any intervention from an opposing player can change that calculus in highly complicated ways.

Yet, as much as the physical toll of football is apparent, imagine the emotional toll on a player when injuries repeatedly occur. I fractured my wrist when I was a kid, but I wasn’t pursuing a college football career. I was okay. My career wasn’t on the line. To make an upper-tier Big Ten college football program and then not get the chance to show it is stinging and sad on levels I honestly can’t relate to. There is no way I can truly grasp the enormity of pain James Williams must be feeling.

We at Badgers Wire, along with the entire Wisconsin family, wish James Williams the best in the future, as a young man tries to find a new career path and a new vision for his life. We hope and pray that James’ family and friends will be strong sources of support during this time, and that the Feb. 12 surgery goes smoothly.