One of the state’s top 2022 prospects begins his travels around the Southeast Friday. WR Antonio Williams (6-0 180) of Dutch Fork has a series of unofficial visits planned for this month commencing USC Friday. Next will come a trip to Clemson Sunday. Next weekend, Williams will check off Georgia, Auburn and Alabama on successive days. And he’ll wrap up his June sightseeing with a weekend at Ole Miss June 18th.
Former Ole Miss basketball star Murphy Holloway is Williams’s stepdad and is working closely with him on the recruiting process, something he knows well from his days at Dutch Fork. Holloway said these trips will allow Williams to get a better feel for the communities where he might spend his college days.
“Just seeing the towns and how they are,” Holloway said. “It has nothing to do with football. Something where he can see like, OK, they’ve got Chick-Fil-A. For instance, they’ve got a good place where I can eat, nice facilities, stuff like that. Football-wise, I think he’s looking at what quarterbacks are coming in around his time. Being a wide receiver, you don’t depend on just yourself. I think he’s looking at that. You’ll catch a vibe now from the coaches. You’ll see who shows the most love, making the kid feel wanted.”
Williams hasn’t given much of a hint publicly about what he’s thinking regarding his schools. Holloway believes his stepson is far from forming a strong opinion on any one program as he goes into these visits.
“I think he’s going in pretty open-minded,” Holloway said. “He hasn’t stressed around the house, oh this is where I want to go. This is where I like it. If he has it, he has it in his mind, he probably just doesn’t want to say it.”
USC has made Williams a major target as the Gamecocks try to rebuild their receiving corps.
“Carolina is here. That’s the advantage,” Holloway said. “There’s a lot here in the backyard. We have something in the mail every day. He gets handwritten letters. I think that means something to him, having those handwritten letters coming to him. I guess how they do at the beginning of the year, or the way they recruit him (will be critical).”
Clemson has not yet offered, but receivers coach Tyler Grisham has been actively involved with Williams.
“They show a lot of love,” Holloway said. “I think he talks to the Clemson coach. Clemson marketing is amazing. You should see some of the mail that comes. They talk, but he hasn’t said anything like they’ve offered.”
Don’t look for a decision from Williams coming off this month’s visits. Holloway said Williams wants to take more time to sort thru things and take more visits in the fall.
“I think he might have it in his mind before the season what he likes after taking these visits,” Holloway said. “I know he wants to take his official visits. Now, we come home, and he feels like Carolina blew everybody out to me, or Georgia, or Auburn, or Clemson…. this is his first time doing this. This is his first time going to see these people he’s been talking on the phone with for a long time. Just trying to figure it out.”
Last season Williams had 51 catches for 837 yards and 8 touchdowns. He had 1504 total yards.
