On Saturday, April 15th, class of 2024 high school running back Xavier Williams announced on Twitter that he was committing to play football at the University of Iowa.
After receiving his offer from the Hawkeyes on March 29th, Williams made his decision quickly, announcing his commitment just slightly over two weeks later.
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Who Is Xavier Williams?
A student-athlete at Lake Central High School, in Saint John, Indiana, Xavier Williams is a 6’0” 225 pounds running back who is currently finishing up his junior year of high school.
Williams is a three-star running back and is the number 13 ranked player in the state of Indiana and the number 69 ranked running back in the nation, according to 247Sports.
In addition to his offer from Iowa, Williams also had offers from Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Indiana State, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Toledo, and Western Michigan. Each of these offers came following a very strong junior season at Lake Central High School.
100% Committed🟡⚫️ #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/TLFzmMYj81
— Xavier Williams (@Xavierwilliamsw) April 15, 2023
Numbers And Stats
Through his 10 games during his junior season, Xavier Williams rushed for 1,451 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also compiled seven receptions and completed a 42-yard pass. As a junior, Williams showed that he was a true playmaker on the football field. He showed breakaway speed, with multiple rushes and touchdowns coming outside of 50 yards. Xavier Williams has great patience and the ability to quickly change direction, extending plays in ways that the majority of other backs are unable to.
In addition to his speed, patience, and ability to change direction, Williams also put on display his ability to run over defenders when necessary, during his 2022 junior season.
As if his ability to run the football wasn’t enough, despite only having seven receptions on the season, Williams did show some impressive hands, making a few tough catches on the run, even lining up in the slot from time to time. As if his rushing and catching ability wasn’t enough, he even showed plus arm strength with his 42-yard pass completion.
A very physical back, weighing in at 225 pounds, Xavier Williams has shown extreme versatility through this point in his football career. While most backs have a specialty, whether it be their speed, pass-catching ability, or physicality in short-gain situations, Williams showed a bit of everything during his junior season, which is likely why he was able to compile 10 offers before finally making his decision to become a Hawkeye.
Fresh Walters scores on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Xavier Williams for Team Green pic.twitter.com/sqh5s6f9UP
— Sam Perry (@Sam_P_Sports) April 23, 2023
What Xavier Williams brings to the Hawkeyes?
Xavier Williams is a true playmaker. He has shown that he is able to succeed no matter what his coaches ask of him. At this point, Williams seems like he could be an underrated player in his class and one that the Iowa Hawkeyes are very fortunate to have secured as a member of their 2024 recruiting class. Xavier Williams has speed, strength, and the agility to excel at the next level.
He most definitely will be a player to keep an eye on once he makes it to campus in Iowa City, possibly as an early enroll in January, 2024. Williams joins an already impressive 2024 Iowa recruiting class and is a player that Hawkeyes fans should be excited about once he finally lines up in the backfield in an Iowa Hawkeyes uniform.
Game mix from the files🖤
Xavier Williams
Wr 6’1 175
Sub 4.4 40 yrd
Jr in the classroom
Played at D3 (2seasons)
(2 clips are a lil blurry ) pic.twitter.com/gIamcA3jfJ— Xavier Williams (@XavierWms17) April 19, 2023
Iowa Hawkeyes’ 2024 Recruiting Class
With his commitment on April 15th, Xavier Williams became Iowa’s eighth commit in their 2024 recruiting class. According to 247Sports, the Iowa Hawkeyes have the number 14 ranked recruiting class for the class of 2024. Xavier Williams joined four star offensive lineman Cody Fox, four-star linebacker Derek Weisskopf, three-star linebacker Cam Buffington, three star edge rusher Drew Campbell, three star quarterback James Resar, three star athlete Preston Ries, and three star offensive lineman Josh Janowski.
Immediately following Xavier Williams’ April 15th commitment, three-star athlete Brevin Doll announced his commitment to play for the Hawkeyes on April 16th.
For a program that is notorious for its strength on defense, the Iowa Hawkeyes seem to be targeting their offensive weaknesses, with six of their nine recruits in the class of 2024 playing on the offensive side of the ball. It seems as though the Hawkeyes are content with what they have on defense currently and are looking to load their offense with young talent in the coming years.
Already having the number 14 ranked recruiting class for the class of 2024, the Iowa Hawkeyes will certainly be a team to watch in the coming years. Should they produce a strong offense to go with their already stellar defense, the Iowa Hawkeyes could be building something special in the near future.
#Iowa 2024 four-star offensive line commit Cody Fox dives into his junior season, his relationship with #Hawkeyes offensive line coach George Barnett, and why he stands out.
VIP WATCH: https://t.co/RoQ6c4iCcx
— Sean Bock (@SBock247) September 26, 2022
