Texas LB commit Deuce Williams loves his decision to be a Longhorn
The commitment of linebacker Anthony “Deuce” Williams to Texas came with a bit of an interesting backstory. Williams, out of Pearland Shadow Creek, had been a longtime UT lean but Texas was without a linebackers coach when Williams committed due to the scheduled departure of former linebackers coach Jeff Choate.
It didn’t matter. Williams was so sold on the UT program that he decided to go ahead and commit anyway, giving the Longhorns a pledge on January 1, the same day Texas would play Washington in the Sugar Bowl. Choate would leave for Nevada in the days that followed and Texas would hire Johnny Nansen less than a week later. Shortly after being announced to the UT staff, Nansen would pay Williams a visit at his school and in late January, Williams made his way to Austin for an official visit.
“It was a good experience. All the coaches came and gave me love. Coach Nansen, that was my second time meeting him because he came to the school once. Just coming to campus for the first time since committing, it was very exciting,” Williams said of that visit. “I can’t wait to get to campus and start the journey.”
The 6-3, 190-pound Williams spent time on that visit getting better acquainted with Nansen, and also worked on recruiting other players to commit to Texas, including Shadow Creek teammates Jacorey Watson and Cobey Sellers. The in-depth time spent with Nansen left Williams feeling great about his decision to commit to Texas.
“Coach Nansen is a great guy. Him and coach Choate are really similar, really cool guys,” Williams said. “They’re really real. They’re just very clear on what they have, and what expectations they have for you when you come to Texas. When you come to Texas, it’s a very high expectation for you to fill and play at Texas because not everyone gets a chance to come play at Texas.”
The January visit also reaffirmed to Williams that he chose Texas for not just one person. He’s developed connections with several members of the Texas coaching and support staff, and Williams loves the direction of the UT program under Steve Sarkisian.
“It was just the relationships with all the coaches. I’ve got relationships with coach Sark, his wife, coach Gideon, the corners coach, my linebacker coach, some of the other staff members,” Williams said. “It’s just a family-oriented thing. Them just being there and encouraging me to be at Texas, they want me to come on and have a great time and just fulfill those expectations.”
Williams is ranked as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com. He chose the Longhorns over Auburn, Baylor, Notre Dame and Oregon.