With their entry into the Big XII conference less than a week away, the University of Houston football program received a big commitment from 4-star safety Maurice Williams Jr. from Shadow Creek High School.
“It’s great to play for my city and put on for my city”, Williams Jr said. Williams was originally committed to LSU, but after an official visit to UH June 23 and conversations with his Shadow Creek teammate DL Zion Taylor, also a UH commit, Williams decided to flip from LSU to UH.
“Zion was the one who initially brought it to me, so big ups to him. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have given it a shot”, he said. “I really didn’t know what UH had going on until Zion broke it down for me.”
According to ESPN, Williams is ranked as the 129th player in the nation.
He is one of the best players in the Houston area and is the highest-graded recruit for UH since Ed Oliver in 2016. “Being from Houston, it’s a great feeling playing for your city. And with them moving up to the Big XII, that’s great to be a part of”, Williams, Jr. said.
Williams Jr. is looking forward to developing not only on the field but off it, which was something the coaches were big on during his visit.
“The coaches are all about the players. They are all about player development and character development as young men, and that is something I want to be a part of. I want to be a great man in the future, not only a good football player, and I think they can help me with that”, he said.
So he’ll put on for his school this year and the city starting next year, playing at home in front of a family who grew up in the shadows of TDECU stadium.
“I have a lot of family from 3rd Ward. My grandmother is from 3rd Ward. My mom is from out there. My dad stayed out there for a while”, he said. “I have a lot of family out there. I have a lot of family in Houston. It’s like a full circle moment to play for my city and put on for my city.”