Demond Williams, the electric four star QB prospect from Chandler, AZ backed out of his commitment with the Rebels after his initial pledge to the team back in December. This leaves Williams as the best potential remaining signal caller without a team for the 2024 class. 24 other programs have offered Williams, including a home-state suitor, Arizona – which appears to be the leader in the clubhouse to this point. Other big name offers for Demond include UCLA, Michigan State, Arkansas and Arizona State.
Why Did Demond Williams decommit from Ole Miss?
The University of Arizona just had one of their own in-state commitments, landing the top-ranked EDGE rusher in the 2024 class on Thursday (7/6) in Elijah Rushing (Salpointe Catholic, Tucson). Rushing is the highest ranked recruit to commit to the Wildcats in the modern ranking era. The uptrending program Jedd Fisch has been establishing the past few seasons in Arizona can be seen as an appealing destination for many recruits. Another potential reason for Demond Williams’ decommitment could be due to Ole Miss landing another high (3 star) QB recruit in Austin Simmons back in June. Simmons also backed out of his initial pledge to the University of Florida to join Lane Kiffin and the Rebels.
What Can Teams Expect from Demond Williams?
Demond Williams is an alluring prospect. He is undersized (5’11” 180lbs), but more than makes up for his stature with his improvisation and big-play ability. He generally prefers to be a pocket-passer first where he shows great poise and accuracy on intermediate throws. But he has the elusiveness and speed to spring a play with his legs if need be.
He has a good feel for the deep ball and great arm strength – too much at times as a matter of fact. Working on finding a way to throttle his passes with a little more touch is something coaches can work with at the next level. His ability to evade a collapsing pocket may be his best trait. His height and weight is his biggest drawback, but along with his intangibles, Williams shows more than enough promise and composure to potentially compete as a multi-year starter at any Power Five program.
(Photo by Monica D. Spencer/The Republic)
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.
Ole Miss is still a team he highly considers, but it appears he wants to keep his options open heading into his senior season:
“First I would like to thank coach Kiffin, coach Weiss and all of the Ole Miss staff that has believed in my abilities and been there for me since day 1. I will forever appreciate the consistent love from the fanbase and community of Oxford. After careful consideration and talks with my family and God, it is in my best interest to take a step back and decommit from the University of Mississippi and re-open my recruitment. Ole Miss will still be one of my top choices. Thank you and please respect my decision. God’s plan.” – Demond Williams tweeted on Friday (7/7).
