SPORTS

Derek Williams' commitment lets Texas add another five-star talent to its Class of 2023

Danny Davis
Austin American-Statesman
Derek Williams, center, is a five-star safety from New Iberia, La. He committed to Texas on Monday; he would be the Longhorns' 10th five-star signee since 2018 should he and quarterback Arch Manning, who committed last week, both end up signing.

On Monday evening, Derek Williams announced his commitment to the football team at Texas.

Williams is a five-star safety and rising senior who attends Westgate High in New Iberia, La. His pledge came in the wake of a weekend in which six players joined UT's 2023 recruiting class.

Nationally, Texas now boasts a 15-member class that's No. 3 on 247Sports' composite rankings behind Ohio State and Notre Dame. Both Williams and quarterback Arch Manning have earned five-star tags. Dating back to the 2018 recruiting cycle, Texas has signed at least one five-star recruit in each of its classes — defensive backs Caden Sterns and B.J. Foster in 2018, receivers Bru McCoy and Jordan Whittington in 2019, running back Bijan Robinson in 2020, athlete Ja'Tavion Sanders in 2021, and offensive linemen Devon Campbell and Kelvin Banks in 2022.

On the 247Sports composite, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Williams is rated as the third-best safety and No. 37 overall prospect in the country. Manning and Williams are regarded as two of the top three Louisiana products.

Earlier this month, Williams said Clemson, Miami, Alabama, Michigan, Texas A&M and Oklahoma were among the schools he was still considering. He also picked the Longhorns over an offer from LSU.