Longhorns Country

Texas Projected to Land 5-Star 2025 Safety Jonah Williams

The Texas Longhorns have seen a few losses on the recruitment trail lately, but picking up the No. 1 safety in the nation could be a major move by Steve Sarkisian.

Emma Hutchinson

Recruit Jonah Williams watches Ohio State warm up before playing Penn State Oct. 21, 2023 at Ohio Stadium.
Recruit Jonah Williams watches Ohio State warm up before playing Penn State Oct. 21, 2023 at Ohio Stadium. / Lori Schmidt / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns have been hot on the recruiting trail this offseason, snatching up multiple five-star and four-star prospects to help the team acclimate to the tough environment presented by the Southeastern Conference.

But the Longhorns have also suffered some huge loses, with former Texas prospects such as wide receiver Dakorien Moore and offensive tackle Michael Fasusi committing to Oregon and Oklahoma, respectively, within the past couple months.

Steve Sarkisian
Texas Longhorns hey football coach, Steve Sarkisian during the first day with pads in fall football camp practice for the Texas Longhorns at Denius Fields on Monday, August 5, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

There's still hope for Sarkisian to make some final moves and find redemption. As this cycle's recruits all begin to make their final decisions, Texas has made a promising case for the class of 2025 five-star safety Jonah Williams to join the Forty Acres, as the program hosted an official visit for Williams in late July. It came as his last trip in his recruiting process but will hopefully be his first pick come Saturday during his commitment announcement.

On3 reporter and analyst Steve Wiltfong inked his prediction for who Williams will settle on, switching his finalist from Texas A&M to Texas. Williams has narrowed down his top choices to USC, LSU, Texas, Oregon, and Texas A&M, but Wiltfong said he could still see the Galveston native being drawn to LSU or Texas A&M as well as Texas.

In similar fashion, Oregon recruitment reporter Max Torres shared his thoughts on Williams' path, moving his prediction from the Ducks to the Longhorns. Torres also believes that Texas A&M and LSU are still in the mix, but marked Oregon as a contender no longer in Williams' sights. Torres claimed that NIL has played a big factor in where Williams is bound to end up, and Texas hasn't been shy in that department.

Williams stands as a 6-3, 200-pound defensive back out of Galveston Ball High School, and is logged as On3's top safety in the nation and the No. 10 prospect overall in his class. Last season, he was named the Defensive Player of the Year for Texas District 9-5A as a junior and caught 20 passes for a total of 474 yards and eight touchdowns. He also recorded 58 tackles, four for loss, and three interceptions for return touchdowns for the second consecutive season.

Alongside his football talents, Williams is also regarded as one of the lead baseball prospects in Texas, which could also be a viable option, especially since Texas recently hired former Aggies head coach Jim Schlossnagle in an effort to create a national championship-winning team.

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Emma Hutchinson
EMMA HUTCHINSON

Emma Hutchinson is a senior journalism student at the University of Texas at Austin, covering the Texas Longhorns for SI/Fan Nation since June of 2024. Her previous sports journalism experience includes writing and editing for The Daily Texan, where she covered Texas athletic programs such as softball, women’s basketball, football, and baseball. Originally from Washington, D.C., Emma now resides in the Dallas metroplex. She enjoys rooting for the Mavericks, Rangers, and Stars, as well as supporting the Nationals and Commanders.

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