Florida State signs blue-chip lineback Izayia Williams

The long, strange recruitment of Izayia Williams is finally over, with Williams inking with the Seminoles.

The 6’2”, 215 pound Williams made six verbal commitments in total, previously having pledged to the Syracuse Orange, Louisville Cardinals, Florida Gators, and Ole Miss Rebels, with a verbal to FSU thrown in as well. The Seminoles were able to get him back in the fold on August 15, and to his credit, he remained solid since then. 247Sports Composite rates Williams as the 79th best player in the nation (6th best LB, 11th best in FL).

Williams unfortunately missed his entire senior season with an injury, something that undoubtedly helped FSU hold on to his pledge. He balled out as a junior, racking up 125 tackles (15 for loss), four sacks, and an interception on defense. On the other side of the ball, he rushed 23 times for 423 yards (18.4 average) and six touchdowns and caught five passes for 97 yards and four touchdowns.

If Williams is able to get 100% healthy and recapture his athleticism and explosion off the snap, he profiles as a future starter for FSU. He can go sideline to sideline and close on ball carriers in a hurry, arriving with violent intentions and tackling through his man. Much depends on his recovery of course, but this could be a significant win for FSU in the end.

From his official Florida State bio:

Consensus four-star linebacker from Tavares High School…ranked as No. 44 player nationally, No. 1 linebacker and No. 5 player in Florida by Rivals…placed No. 46 on ESPN’s SCNext 300 and rated No. 5 linebacker and No. 7 player in Florida…No. 196 by 247Sports, No. 10 linebacker and No. 25 in Florida…suffered injury prior to senior season…Under Armour All-America Game participant following junior season…two-way player at Tavares had 125 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and one interception during junior season…carried the ball 23 times for 423 yards and six touchdowns…added five receptions for 97 yards and four touchdowns…two-sport athlete also competed in 100-, 200- and 400-meter events as well as shot put, high jump and long jump with the Tavares track team…chose Florida State over offers from Florida, Ole Miss and Georgia, among others.