Penn State locks in official visit with wide receiver Taz Williams Jr.
Penn State’s official visit list continues to grow, as now another prominent wide receiver target has locked in a trip for June. On Monday evening, Texas wide receiver Taz Williams Jr. confirmed on social media that he’ll take an official visit to State College June 14-16.
A four-star prospect in On3’s Industry Rankings, Williams actually grew up in Pittsburgh. He moved to Texas to live with his dad but still returns to Western Pennsylvania regularly. In fact, he’s spent the past few years training part-time with multiple Penn State players, including Ta’Mere Robinson, Quinton Martin and Lamont Payne. While on campus for an unofficial visit in January, he was able to actually speak with Robinson.
“It was just a regular talk,” Williams said. “We were catching up on how he likes it and how much he’s gonna play this season. I”ve known [Ta’Mere] since AAU in third grade.”
Link: Penn State set to host another elite quarterback prospect on Tuesday
Williams picked up an offer from the Nittany Lions way back in Aug. 2022 but was never able to visit until January. He said that Penn State’s coaching staff, most notably head coach James Franklin and wide receivers coach Marques Hagans, left a strong impression.
“I loved Coach Franklin’s transparency and directness,” Williams said. “The staff is really like a family, and Coach Haggans really cares about his wide receivers off the field. I liked their approach to NIL, like how they broke it down, even though [Franklin] says don’t come here for that. He wants guys to come here for Penn State and their love for the college and his stability as a head coach. He’s signed until 2031.”
Williams went on to add, “I also liked how he doesn’t want to get a lot of players from the portal. He’d rather recruit from high school and develop them. I liked how I am a top priority for them. He said he is going to recruit me hard.”
Landing his commitment won’t be easier, however. After announcing his top 10 at the end of February, Williams informed On3’s Chad Simmons that Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas A&M and USC are all standing out. He was previously expected to take an official visit to Alabama, June 14-16, now is expected to be at Penn State. His other official visits include USC (May 17-19), Ohio State (May 31-June 2), Texas A&M (June 6-8) and Michigan (June 21-23).
