College coaches lighting up Florida 2025 four-star DB/WR Tony Williams’ phone
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
The recruiting game is all about building bonds and connections. Every moment of NCAA-approved contact between players and coaches is taken advantage of by programs hoping to land prized recruits. Teams have wasted no time dropping 21 offers on Tony Williams and jumped all over the Aug. 1 opening to start making direct contact with the 2025 four-star.
The 2022 season with Palm Beach Central (West Palm Beach, Fla.) pushed Williams (6-2, 191) to the top of recruiting boards. Displaying his skills on defense, Williams put an end to 23 plays with four interceptions, including a pick-six, with 11 passes broken up, a forced fumble, and three tackles for a loss on the stat sheet. Contributing on offense, 10 passes were secured for 129 yards with two touchdowns contributing to his overall four scores on the season.
The Broncos have Williams all over the field again this fall.
“On the field, I will be doing a little of everything playing corner, safety, and nickelback,” Williams stated. “On offense, they will throw me in there at receiver.”
The grind over the summer months has been on improving his skills on both sides of the ball.
“I have been working on getting in and out of breaks, flipping my hips better, and being patient on releases,” Williams said. “Every day is something new.”
With the 2023 season around the corner, Williams spoke about his enthusiasm returning to the gridiron.
“I am hyped about what our team can do,” Williams shared. “We got some transfers in; I just want to see what we can do. I don’t think we will lose any games; I just want to see how my team plays.”
Part of the offseason workouts was receiving instructions at college camps.
“I camped a lot; Florida, UCF, Penn State, Georgia, and Miami,” Williams stated.
Tricks to the game were learned from next level coaches.
“I learned about staying more patient, that is what the coaches helped me out with, reacting to the ball quicker, my hips, and they gave me little tips that will help,” Williams said.
A handful of squads got Williams on campus for straight visits this summer.
“I visited Auburn, Pitt, Ohio State, Miami, and Florida State,” Williams stated.
Ties were constructed with the Seminoles staff while in Tallahassee.
“It was really good,” Williams shared. “They showed a lot of love. I talked to coach (Mike) Norvell. Coach (Patrick) Surtain (Sr.), he was giving me tips on stuff and how to be smoother. His son (Patrick Surtain Jr. – Broncos) is my favorite player in the league. Being in touch with him was big. He was telling me little details helping me to get better.”
Love was the theme in Coral Gables for Williams.
“It was good,” Williams said. “They showed a lot of love. Coach KB (Kevin Beard – WR) and coach (Jahmile) Addae (DB), they showed me around the school. I talked to coach (Mario) Cristobal. They showed a lot of love and hospitality. They were telling me a lot of great things about the school, their history, and about their recruiting. They showed a lot of love.”
The summer visit tour wrapped up over the weekend in Columbus with the Buckeyes.
“It was good,” Williams stated. “They showed me around the city and the school. They were showing major love too. They had a BBQ; we ate good. I had a good talk with coach (Perry) Eliano (DB). He was telling me the history of the program and about his background. They were taking me through all the stuff about Ohio State.”
Heading into the season, Williams covered the programs that may drop a scholarship opportunity soon.
“Miami is interested, Ohio State, Tennessee, Wake Forest, Wisconsin is showing some love too,” Williams shared. “Those are the ones showing a lot of interest in me.”
On Tuesday, Williams got a better understanding of how popular he is among college football coaches.
“It was a crazy day,” Williams said. “I am talking about left and right getting text message. Rutgers showed a ton of love, they had 25 coaches texting me. I got a lot of love from them. Once 12:00 hit, coaches from everywhere were contacting me. It was great to catch up and learn about them. I met some new coaches too. It was really good talking to those coaches.”
When college football ramps up their schedule, Williams will be traveling again.
“Definitely going up to the FSU-Pitt game (Nov. 4),” Williams stated. “I will try to get to an Ohio State game. I am looking at a couple of others. I’m trying to get to Rutgers, but I am not sure if we will make a game or visit after the season. This season I will probably go to UCF in Orlando, Penn State, Miami and FSU. I have to narrow them down.”
*Click the link for the April 10 RNG interview with Tony Williams.