Where 4-star Antonio Williams’ recruitment stands going into senior season
Antonio Williams is ready for his senior season to start at Dutch Fork High School, but he’s not any closer to making his college decision.
“I’m not rushing anything. When I know where I am going, I will be committing,” Williams said after Monday’s scrimmage against Greenville High.
The Dutch Fork four-star recruit is the top receiving prospect in South Carolina and ranked 25th overall nationally at the position by 247Sports Composite. Williams already is committed to play in the Under Armour All-American game in January.
Williams hit the recruiting trail hard in the summer after the NCAA allowed recruits to take on-campus visits starting June 1. He went to South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia, Auburn and Ole Miss in the month of June.
Williams returned to USC at the end of July for the Gamecocks’ cookout that featured some of USC’s top recruiting targets and commits. Receivers coach Justin Stepp and tight ends coach Erik Kimrey, who played at Dutch Fork, have been Williams’ primary recruiters.
“It is a great atmosphere. They welcomed me and my family,” Williams said of USC. “The message is just that I can come in and be the guy as early as possible, come make an impact. That is a good thing.
“They all are great people at South Carolina. Coach Stepp and Kimrey, those are my guys. Coach Stepp, as soon as he got the job at South Carolina, told me what was up and I respect him.”
Williams plans to take official visits to South Carolina on Sept. 22 and then to Ole Miss on Oct. 24, and possibly go back to a couple of other places he took unofficial visits to in the summer. Each recruit is allowed up to five official visits.
Ole Miss is the alma mater of Williams’ stepfather, Murphy Holloway, a former Dutch Fork standout who went on to play basketball for the Rebels. Williams said Holloway has helped him during the recruiting process, but the decision of where he wants to go is totally up to him.
Williams has a checklist of different things when he is looking at a school.
“I want to go to the place where I fit in,” Williams said. “A place that has a good quarterback and good coaching staff. Just the place that will be best place for me and my family.”
The 6-foot, 180-pound Williams broke his collarbone during his sophomore year but had a breakout year as a junior in helping the Silver Foxes to their fifth consecutive Class 5A championship. He led the team with 51 catches for 837 yards and eight touchdowns last year, ranking second in yards and touchdowns behind Charlotte signee Elijah Spencer.
Williams also shined on special teams, returning to punts for touchdowns and averaging 28.7 yards per kickoff return. He was back returning punts during Monday’s scrimmage.
“Antonio is very explosive when he gets the ball in his hands,” Dutch Fork coach Tom Knotts said of Williams last week. “He can take it the distance at any point, so we will try to put the ball in his hands, throw him bubbles (screens), quicks and long balls also. He is a real versatile player and can do a lot with it when he gets it in his hands.”
With the graduation of Spencer, and with Devin Hyatt’s departure to IMG Academy, Williams should be the focal point of the Silver Foxes’ offense. Dutch Fork is breaking in a new quarterback this season with Davin Patterson and transfer Alliam Appler battling it out for the starting job. The two took turns with the first team in Monday’s scrimmage.
“TK (Tom Knotts) knows what he is doing so we will find ways to get open,” Williams said. “I still got Nick Sowell and Jason Hamilton and guys that will have a breakout season. We got to keep working on our chemistry and confidence. Once we click we will be alright.”
This story was originally published August 10, 2021 at 8:52 AM with the headline "Where 4-star Antonio Williams’ recruitment stands going into senior season."
