The 12th ranked player in the state of Alabama first committed to Auburn on January 31st of 2015. However, on June 5th, he reopened his recruitment and decommitted from the Tigers. Today, the three-star defensive tackle officially pledged to play for the Crimson Tide and vows to shut down all recruitment for the rest of his senior year.
"When I first committed to Auburn I committed as a fan instead of looking at it as a student-athlete. I grew up a diehard Auburn fan. Auburn was my dream offer. When I got the offer I decided to go ahead and commit. I really didn't look at it from a student-athlete standpoint.
"Alabama was really the best fit for me. They can help develop as a player and as a man. I just committed too quick. I decided to re-open my recruitment and take a look at everything."
Williams is the 33rd ranked defensive tackle in the nation and the 378th player overall. At 6'4" 260, Williams has the size of a big defensive end or a small defensive tackle, and the versatility to play both. His 40-yard dash was a disappointing 5.24 seconds, but his powerball toss covered an extremely impressive 42 feet.
On the field, Williams moves much faster than his weak forty time indicates, as he excels in chasing ball carriers from sideline to sideline and reading screens. He is a strong, technical tackler with good instincts, and is most comfortable when reading plays and chasing the ball. As a rusher, he has a decent first step and a powerful bull rush.
However, the bull rush is his only technique for disengaging, and when it fails, he struggles to shed blocks. Williams will never be a disruptive penetrator along the line, and is much more suited to play in a two-gap role where he can read and react. Right now, he is a bit of a 'tweener, and will either need to beef up to play in the interior of the line, or get faster and quicker and become an edge player.
Williams is the fourth defensive lineman in Alabama's 2016 class, along with Raekwon Davis, Khalid Kareem, and Kendell Jones. Alabama is likely to lose its entire starting defensive line at the end of the 2016 season, so his arrival will come at just the right time to make a push for immediate playing time.