Last year, the seeming dominos of big recruits hit in June. It is mid-May and it is underway. Jared Williams made his verbal to Pitt. Williams is a City League player at both Running Back and
Cornerback.
“I’ve gone to camp [at Pitt] the last few years, and they started showing real interest in me last year,” Williams said. “I didn’t think they were going to offer, but they did.”Pitt was the only school to offer a scholarship so far, but other Division I colleges were showing interest. The Panthers recruited him as a cornerback.
“He’s a speed burner and very, very explosive,” said Perry coach Bill Gallagher. “Plus, he has a real nose for the ball.”
Not yet ranked, Scout.com does mention that he may be the best player from the Pittsburgh City League. Pitt has been the only team to offer at this point but he had interest from Penn State, Syracuse and WVU. Rivals.com also lists some interest from BC, Michigan, Ohio St. and Iowa. ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. also lists FSU, Miami and Virginia. None of the recruiting sites have any actual evaluations on him.
His parents were a major factor in his early commitment.
Williams is the first Perry player to pick the Panthers since quarterback Rod Rutherford and receiver-cornerback Robb Butler signed with former coach Walt Harris in 1998. Williams said his parents, Irving and Janet, pushed him toward Pitt.
“They wanted me to stay home,” Williams said. “My family meant more than anything.”
Pittsburgh Sports Report, listed Williams as the 19th best overall player in Pennsylvania.
19. JARED WILLIAMS, CB: Perry Traditional Academy (Pittsburgh) – Williams is the total package at cornerback at a muscular 5’9 1/2″ and 190 pounds, with top level speed and athleticism. He is also an excellent return man with game-breaking ability. Pittsburgh was the first to offer and is the current leader, but Ohio State, Iowa, Virginia, Michigan, and Virginia Tech are just some of the big programs involved.
Pitt got him early and he gets to stay local.
“Coach Wannstedt sat me down and said that they want me to play at Pitt,” said Williams after receiving his offer. It looks like the Pitt coaches got what they wanted.
Looks like the period before Memorial Day could be quite busy.
