After committing this week, JUCO safety Da'Mare Williams decommits from Kentucky

by: Zack Geoghegan9 hours agoZGeogheganKSR

Da’Mare Williams was only committed to Kentucky for a few days before changing his mind.

On Sunday afternoon, Williams, a junior college product, announced his decommitment from the Wildcats.

“First I want to thank the University of Kentucky coaching staff for believing in me and giving me an opportunity to be part of their program,” Williams wrote on social media. “I have nothing but respect for them. After talking with my family and taking time to reflect on what’s best for my future I have decided to decommit from the University of Kentucky. This was not an easy decision but I believe it’s the right one for my long term goals.”

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound safety from Smoky Mountain (Sylva, NC) took an official visit to Kentucky earlier this week, ultimately committing on the trip. He’s ranked as the No. 8 safety and the No. 65 overall player in the JUCO Rivals Industry Ranking. But roughly 24 hours after UK was shut out 41-0 by Louisville on Saturday in the regular season finale, Williams has opted to reopen his recruitment.

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First I want to thank the University of Kentucky coaching staff for believing in me and giving me an opportunity to be part of their program. I have nothing but respect for them. After talking with my family and taking time to reflect on what’s best for my future I have decided…
— Da’Mare Williams 6’3 205 (@DaMareWilliams3) November 30, 2025

Williams originally chose Kentucky over offers from the likes of Mississippi State, West Virginia, Houston, UCF, and Charlotte, among others. He told Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ that the plan was to enroll in January, but that will obviously no longer happen. Williams said Kentucky’s pitch to him was to come in and play right away.

Williams wasn’t the only JUCO visitor this week, either. Defensive back Braxton Urquhart, who was on campus at the same time as Williams, committed to UK on Wednesday. As of the time this article was published, Urquhart remains committed to Kentucky. But the timing of Williams’ decommitment is certainly interesting, given the unknown surrounding Mark Stoops‘ status as the current head coach.

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