Recruiting: Newman linebacker Brandon Williams commits to Virginia

Newman linebacker Brandon Williams has committed to Virginia of the ACC.

It was widely speculated that Florida, LSU and Tennessee were the top three for the four-star rated talent with Arkansas, Kentucky, Miami, Tulane, Boston College, Houston, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Purdue also in the mix.

However, Virginia special teams coordinator Ricky Brumfield, a New Orleans native and alum of Archbishop Shaw (1994 graduate), swayed Williams to the Cavaliers. Williams, the 11th pledge for Virginia in the 2020 class, joins a pair of fellow Cavs commitments from Louisiana – safety Bud Clark of Alexandria Senior High and safety Donovan Johnson out of Helen Cox). Both were also recruited by Brumfield.

The 6-foot-3, 223-pound Williams tore the medial collateral ligament in his left toe prior to the ’18 season. He maintains a 3.0 GPA at Newman. He is ranked 10th in the state on the 247 Sports composite list.

Very instinctive, he is a good open field tackler but also a film study devotee. Williams understands defensive concepts and executes well. He is very muscular and has room for growth.