For the second Saturday in-a-row, Tennessee was able to bring priority target Justin Williams to campus.
The four-star decommitted from West Virginia earlier this week and has been in great dialog with the Vols for a while now. Yesterday’s win over South Alabama was another chance to get a feel for everything up-close and in person.
“I had a great time last time, so why wouldn’t I want to come back,” the running back told Volquest. “My heart told me to come back and I followed it. I came back and retouched on some things and had a chance to see coach [Josh] Heupel and coach [Jerry] Mack again.”
The coaches used the opportunity to check in with the family once again and to ask the 6-foot-0, 206-pound athlete what he thought about the team’s performance in the 60-14 rout of South Alabama.
“Seeing the run game flourish the way it did was cool. They did an awesome job,” Williams said. “They spread out the box and give the running back a bunch of opportunity. Everything looked smooth and was firing on all cylinders. They were putting up points and doing what needs to be successful.”
And to be able to take in another game day experience on Rocky Top with the fans – that was big for the Rivals Top-225 player.
“The stadium love was incredible,” Williams noted. “Being able to go back and see the fans again and that atmosphere – it was awesome.”
The East Paulding native committed to West Virginia on July 5 and was set to become a Mountaineer. That all changed this past week when the 13th-rated running back in the 2022 class officially broke away from the committed class.
“I felt like my heart wasn’t there anymore to be honest,” Williams said. “It was so far. Not having my family be able to come and watch all the games would be difficult. I’m a big family person and want them there, so that’s a huge part of my decision.”
Still, it was a weird week to say the least.
“I was committed there for so long and had relationships built,” the prospect continued. “That’s what is not fun about decommitting. It was weird not hearing from the coaches like I usually do.
“I have to make sure that I make the right call for me for the next 3-4 years.”
The Vols are in a great spot with the Dallas, Ga. native and are doing ‘enough’ in their pitch for the tailback. Michigan and Auburn are also involved as Williams will check out the Tigers next weekend for the final game of the regular-season.
Tennessee will likely get the last word as the Volunteers plan to officially host Williams on December 11th, the final weekend before signing day.
“I may carry this up to signing day or right there before. I just need to see how everything goes,” the Tennessee target concluded. “But Tennessee is doing enough. I had a great time yesterday.”