4 star QB recruit stays in Arizona
Demond Williams, the dynamic QB recruit from Basha High School (Chandler, AZ), announced his commitment to the University of Arizona Wildcats on Monday, July 31st. He had recently decommitted from Ole Miss earlier in July after initially pledging to the Rebels back in December of 2022.
Demond Williams Commits to the University of Arizona
The poised playmaker decided to stay in-state as he looks to be the heir-apparent to Jayden de Laura and the ascending Wildcat’s program. Much could be deciphered from William’s decision to commit to the University of Arizona, as he turned down 24 other offers, including UCLA, Michigan State, Arkansas, and Arizona State.
Arizona QB Commit Demond Williams Jr. (9) – Demond Williams Jr./Twitter
Family Matters
Demond William’s father, Demond Williams Sr., attended Pima Community College in Tucson, AZ (University of Arizona location) in 2004 and was considered one of the nation’s top JUCO prospects during his tenure with the Aztecs. He finished his collegiate career at Michigan State, logging 65 tackles and three interceptions for the Spartans after two seasons.
As part of his announcement to join the Wildcats, Demond Willims (Jr.) posted on his Twitter account an older family video from when he was ten years old, announcing his commitment to the University of Arizona. In the video, he was surrounded by family members, and it appeared the writing was on the wall for somewhat following his father’s footsteps by staying home and playing in Tucson.
“I would like to thank all the colleges for having interest in me, but without further ado, I’ll be taking my talents to the University of Arizona.”
- 10-year-old Demond Williams says in the video
Rebel Rebel
On July 6th, the nation’s top defensive end recruit, Elijah Rushing, announced his commitment to the University of Arizona. One day later, Demond Williams announced his de-commitment from Ole Miss.
Now although coincidental, Austin Simmons, a 2025 four-star QB prospect, announced his pledge to the Rebels in June. In a very peculiar move, Simmons will forgo his final two years of high school and join Ole Miss to play college football this year.
A possible combination of the two could have very much influenced William’s decision: To have a potential QB competition with the much younger Simmons and see another top, in-state prospect commit to the up-trending Wildcat’s program.
Gone Fisching
“We can’t have 57, or whatever it is, Division I players in the state of Arizona, and 52 of them are leaving the state,” head coach Jedd Fisch proclaimed in his introductory Zoom conference. “We have to win the state of Arizona.” And by and large, the Wildcats did just that this offseason by landing the top DE in the country and arguably the best offensive player in the state, as well. Of the 19-player class recruited to the U of A this offseason, 7 are in-state commits.
Arizona’s recruiting class was ranked 22nd overall by 247 Sports in 2022, and by adding Williams, the 2023 class jumped from 40th overall to 33rd overall.
“Our goal is to keep Arizona kids at home. Our goal is to keep kids from Tucson at home,” Jedd Fisch told reporters at the Pac-12 media day.
“We’re working very hard to achieve that goal.”
What the Wildcats are getting in Williams
It appears to be a trend by Fisch’s staff to recruit a QB for every year’s recruiting class. Williams is the third signal caller to commit to the program, along with Noah Fifita (2022) and Brayden Dorman (2023).
In Williams, the University of Arizona is getting a composed playmaker. He is small (5’11”, 180lbs) but more than makes up for his stature with his excellent pocket presence and improvisation ability. He has all the ability to make a play with his feet, but generally prefers to be a pocket-passer first. He has a great feel for the deep ball with good arm strength and shows excellent poise and accuracy on intermediate throws. William’s ability to evade a collapsing pocket is easily his most prominent trait.
He led Basha to the open Division Title in 2022 with 2,339 passing yards (23 TDS) and only one interception. He also rushed for 764 yards in his 2022 campaign. Williams was also a standout at the Elite 11 finals earlier in the summer.
His size is his biggest drawback, but Williams shows more than enough promise to compete as a multi-year starter for the Wildcats.
