4-star LB Gabriel Williams sets multiple visits
Washington (D.C.) St. Vincent Pallotti four-star linebacker Gabriel Williams announced on Monday night that he has set multiple spring visits. In the coming days, he plans to see Virginia Tech (March 30), Penn State (April 4), Arizona State (April 6) and Maryland (April 29). Williams also hopes to visit USC, but has not set a date for his trip to Los Angeles yet.
Williams is the No. 179 overall prospect and No. 19 linebacker in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 6 player in Maryland.
On3 rates Williams higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Per the 2024 On300, he is the No. 107 overall prospect, No. 8 linebacker and No. 2 player in Maryland.
USC and Penn State are two schools standing out to Williams
The 6-foot-3.5, 195-pound defender visited the Trojans on Nov. 26 for their win over Notre Dame. That trip made a positive impression on Williams’ view of USC.
“Man, the coaches, the players, the people were so nice,” Williams told Scott Schrader of WeAreSC. “The atmosphere was crazy and I really enjoyed myself. I talked to Eric Gentry and he was nice. We were just talking about us being big linebackers and not many are that big. He was telling me that the game is changing.”
According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Maryland is leading for Williams’ commitment at 35.6%. Penn State has the next-best odds for his pledge at 21.1%.
Williams has already visited Penn State multiple times. He last saw the Nittany Lions during their White Out game against Minnesota on Oct. 22.
“Man, the atmosphere was crazy,” Williams told Ryan Snyder of BlueWhiteIllustrated. “The crowd was crazy. Man, I don’t know. I just enjoyed being there. I talked to Coach (James) Franklin too. He asked me how I was and said he saw my mid-season tape and loved it.”
“I’ve been talking to Penn State for a long time now, really ever since last year,” Williams also shared with Snyder in July. “James Franklin came down to my school last year to look at Daniel Wingate and myself. I got to introduce myself to him that day and that’s how it mainly started. He also came to see me play last season. I remember him flying in on a helicopter. I had a good game, too, with a pick and a bunch of tackles.”