What a recruitment it has been for top-50 2026 Tavares (Fla.) High School linebacker Izayia Williams. The current Ole Miss commit has been all over the news recently for, what some would call, a very volatile recruiting process.
The Florida native committed to the Rebels back on May 2nd, but that wasn’t the reason for the national attention. This wasn’t the first time Williams has been committed to a major program. In fact, he is now on commitment No. 5.
The 6-1, 215-pound defender was previously committed to Louisville, Syracuse, Florida State, and Florida. With only seven months left until National Signing Day, one would hope that Williams would finally be set in his decision. It appears not everyone is convinced.
On the On3 Recruits YouTube channel, On3 vice president of recruiting Steve Wiltfong was involved in a game called “Stick or Flip”, and it was Wiltfong’s job to predict whether current commits would stick with their respective schools. He had some interesting commentary for Williams.
“Flip,” Wiltong explained. “He has great dialogue with these coaches. Obviously the visits have been so impressionable for him. He is an electric player with unbelievable upside with the length and frame that he has. These programs are going to recruit him until the finish line. Games are going to be played this fall. More guys are going to be competing for the Butkus Award. All this stuff is going to come in there.
He is just not wired to shut it down, which is fine. You only get to go through this process once. If I am Ole Miss, you can't say no but like dude, do you want to wait until December?”
If Williams does eventually decide to open his recruitment back up, we will be experiencing possibly the most outrageous recruiting process of all time. We have seen players flip two to three times before, but this would have to be a record of sorts. Williams has intentions to take some official visits, so clearly the smoke is warranted.
On the 247Sports Composite ranking, Williams is currently rated as the No. 53 overall player, No. 3 linebacker, and No. 6 player in the state of Florida for the 2026 recruiting class. The two-way star was dynamic in 2024, managing to collect 125 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, four sacks, and an interception.
Williams was also a standout on the offensive side of the football. He carried the football 23 times, and managed to rush for 423 yards and six touchdowns, an average of 18.4 yards per carry. As a receiver, he also hauled in five passes for 97 yards and another four scores.
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