Four-star DJ Williams shuts down recruitment after Louisville commitment
DJ Williams has come off the board.
The Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day star, who plays both ways on Friday nights, will play his college football in the ACC.
"Louisville is going to win out," Williams told Rivals. "It's definitely the connections I've made there so far, with Coach (Deion) Branch and Coach (Mark) Ivey. Coach Ivey has been pursuing me since I was pretty much an incoming freshman, so that connection has been extremely strong since Day One.
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"The vibes I get from them are way different...the plan they have for things, the structure is truly remarkable."
The four-star took an official visit to Louisville to kick off the month of June, before trips elsewhere, yet UofL ran away with the recruitment over the last travel stop.
"I really knew after last weekend," Williams said. "As we were going back home, my family and I sat down at the airport and talked about the pros and cons. From Coach Branch being an extremely great person and teacher, he does a tremendous job and he was in the NFL, won a Super Bowl MVP. He always has my back.
"He sees himself in me and has been giving me key pointers to work on going into my senior season."
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CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
Williams will play under Branch at Louisville, focusing on pass-catching as opposed to a two-way role.
"I've always wanted to be on the offensive end," he said. "It was kind of a no-brainer for me. I will be their vertical, deep threat...the go-to guy. It's crazy to think about, especially hearing from Coach (Jeff) Brohm, the offensive guru."
Ole Miss, Miami and many others worked on Williams' recruitment for some time, but the remainder of his visits are to be cancelled going forward.
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"We're shutting it down," he said. "It feels amazing. A lot of the stress has pretty much gone away, now I can relax, be myself and have a great senior year.
"I'm ready to work and get this thing going."
Louisville's top-20 recruiting class now features four Rivals four-stars within it, as Williams joins fellow Floridian Jaydin Broadnax among the highest-rated recruits to pledge to the Cardinals to date.
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