2026 four-star LB Izayia Williams commits to Florida

The reason why Williams is such a big commitment for the Gators is twofold. 

First, he’s a highly-ranked linebacker in the 2026 class. The 247Sports Composite ranks him as the No. 3 linebacker overall and the No. 53 recruit in the country. 

That alone is a big deal for the Gators, because the Tavares High School product projects to be good at the college level.

Second, and perhaps most important, is the fact that Williams had made a commitment to Florida State back in September. That commitment lasted until November, and then things opened back up for the four-star to the tune of a top five that included Florida, Penn State, Florida State, Georgia and Alabama. At one point, Williams was also committed to Syracuse.

Williams took his time after that FSU decommitment while he continued to pick up more offers. The offer he got from Napier and the Gators back in May always stood out, though. 

“I can’t lie, as soon as Florida offered, I knew back then,” Williams told 247Sports, discussing how he knew Florida was the answer for him even while he was committed to other schools. “I grew up loving the program. As a kid, I thought I was going to be a quarterback, so I followed Tim Tebow and I loved the Gators.”

Ultimately, even with other big-time schools in the mix, the draw of the Gators was too much. That’s why Williams decided to make the commitment.

While it is interesting to point out that Williams has decommitted twice before, so he could certainly do so again, he does sound rather smitten with being a Gator. 

He could easily be with the Seminoles right now, so this is a big deal for Florida.

“I grew up a fan of the Gators and I can’t turn the opportunity to play at Florida down,” Williams said. “Florida is a top public school academically and I can get a great education there. The coaches have recruited me really hard and Florida is where I want to be.”

He’s the third commitment to Napier’s 2026 class.