Tavares junior linebacker Izayia Williams, the No. 5-ranked player in the Sentinel’s 2026 Central Florida Super60 and the No. 3 linebacker in the country according to 247 Sports, has committed to the Florida Gators.
The big question with Williams, however, is will it stick? A source close to Williams has told the Sentinel that Williams does not have an NIL deal in place with UF, so negotiations are still pending. This is also the fourth school the junior has committed to in the past 14 months.
The 4-star committed to Louisville after receiving his first scholarship offer from the Cardinals in January of last year, then committed to Syracuse in April and FSU in September. He decommitted from the Seminoles’ pledge in November.
Williams, who played his freshman year at Leesburg, has come onto the recruiting scene with a splash, being a relative no-name at the beginning of 2024. One year later and the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder has 34 FBS offers.
He was one of the first juniors to ever be invited to play in the Under Amour All-American Game in January.
Williams is a gifted athlete, and he loves to deliver the hits on defense, but that’s not his only love. He also likes to tote the football and did plenty of damage on offense this past season, as well. On defense, he led the Bulldogs in tackles with 125 and had 15 tackles for loss. He also had 4 sacks and 1 interception, which he returned 57 yards for a touchdown.
As a running back, he had 23 carries for 423 yards and 6 touchdowns, running the ball at a whopping 18.4 yards per carry. He also had five pass receptions for 97 yards and 4 touchdowns.
He is the second Central Florida player to commit to the Gators’ 2026 recruiting class, joining TFA safety Devin Jackson . The Gators now have three commitment in the class, the other being Tampa Jesuit quarterback Will Griffin.
Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.
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