USC Football: 5-Star Defender Spurns Trojans With His Commitment Elsewhere

The prospect did not sign with USC.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Five-star defense prospect Jonah Williams announced that he has committed to play college football at Texas, choosing the Longhorns over USC football, LSU, Texas A&M, and Oregon. Williams plans to play both football and baseball at Texas and begin playing safety for Texas.

BREAKING: Five-Star Safety Jonah Williams has Committed to Texas, he tells me for @on3recruits

The No. 1 Safety in ‘25 chose the Longhorns over Oregon, LSU, & Texas A&M

“Texas boys create legacies where legends are born.”https://t.co/chaX0PF2Ao pic.twitter.com/IvYypGn3Xh

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) August 24, 2024

"It's 50-50, baseball and football," he told ESPN of committing to Texas. "The opportunities [at Texas] with life after football were part of my choice. The coaching staff really made me feel comfortable about my decision."

Williams is one of the highest-rated outside linebackers in the class of 2025, coming in at No. 8 on the ESPN 300. He was one of the few five-star recruits who had yet to make his commitment until announcing he had chosen Texas this weekend.

Williams had previously been on visits to Oregon, Texas A&M, Ohio State, LSU, Texas, and USC, visiting the Trojans on June 2, 2024. His most recent visit was to Texas, going to the Longhorns on July 25.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound defender is one of the best athletes in his class, playing football, basketball, and baseball. On the football field, Williams is a multi-faceted player who has experience in all three phases of the game.

During the 2023 season for Ball High School, Williams contributed on offense, defense, and special teams. As a wide receiver, Williams caught 20 passes for 474 yards and eight touchdowns. He also rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns on just two carries.

On defense, Williams recorded 58 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and four interceptions, returning three of those picks for touchdowns. To top it all off, Williams returned four kicks for touchdowns. He was named his district's Defensive Player of the Year as a junior after he was the District's MVP during his sophomore season.

The Trojans missed out on a great prospect in Williams, but they still have the No. 2 overall player in the class of 2025 in Julian Lewis. The quarterback from Carrollton, Georgia threw for 3,094 yards, 48 touchdowns, and two touchdowns during the 2023 season.