How Miami stole elite DeLand safety Avantae Williams from Florida on Signing Day
The Miami Hurricanes would’ve been fine with just putting a period on the 2020 recruiting cycle Wednesday. Instead, they added an exclamation point.
National Signing Day was shaping up to be drama-free for Miami for a few weeks. If everyone orally committed signed, the Hurricanes would only have one spot to play with, and they didn’t host a single prospect for an official visit over the weekend leading into Signing Day. Avantae Williams was the only real undecided target left on Miami’s list, and just about every prognosticator assumed he would sign with the Florida Gators.
They were all wrong.
“It’s a massive exclamation point,” coach Manny Diaz said soon after Williams signed with the Hurricanes.
The No. 44 overall player in the 247Sports.com composite rankings for the Class of 2020, Williams stunned the recruiting world Wednesday. The four-star safety had Florida and Miami hats placed in front of him at DeLand High School. He reached for the Gators cap, then changed course, placing the Hurricanes hat atop his head and throwing up the U. Right on cue, Miami announced his signing to wrap up a surprisingly eventful NSD.
The Hurricanes only added two new players Wednesday, but both were defensive backs, as Isaiah Dunson joined Williams by signing his national letter of intent earlier in the day. The four-star cornerback from Tucker in Georgia previously orally committed to Miami in January.
The secondary was the most glaring weakness on the Hurricanes’ defense in 2019. At the last moment, Miami added two critical reinforcements to it.
“Mike Rumph did a great job with the help of DeMarcus Van Dyke of recruiting him,” Diaz said of the 6-foot-2, 180-pound defensive back. “Great length at corner, great ball skills, comes from an outstanding family — we think he’s going to be a great addition to our secondary this year.”
There was never a doubt Dunson would sign with the Hurricanes. Williams’ decision was a shock.
All 15 predictions for Williams in 247Sports’ Crystal Ball, including two made earlier Wednesday, predicted the DeLand defensive back would sign with the Gators. He canceled a previously planned official visit with the Georgia Bulldogs over the weekend once he wrapped up his official visit in Gainesville. They were all signs Williams, whom both Rivals.com and ESPN peg as the nation’s No. 1 safety, was set on Florida.
He ultimately picked Miami for the reasons he said he was considering the Hurricanes all along. Miami was one of the first schools to offer him a scholarship, and he became the first member of the Hurricanes’ 2020 recruiting class in 2017. He spent more than a year committed to Miami before backing off his pledge in 2018 and committing to the Oregon Ducks. He decommitted from Oregon less than a month before the early signing period, though, and the Hurricanes made a run at bringing him back into the fold, leaning on Williams’ longstanding relationship with the defensive coaching staff, and particularly safeties coach Ephraim Banda.
Diaz said Miami found out about Williams’ decision just about half an hour before the 5-11, 170-pound athlete made his announcement, “when the proverbial fax came in.” He had a good feeling about it before.
Williams was once the first member of the 2020 class. Now he might be the last — the exclamation point.
“We’ve known Avantae since the summer coming out of eighth grade. ... This is a four-year relationship,” Diaz said. “I’ve got to give all the credit to Coach Banda, who never gave up on him, but there was just a feeling that Avantae was a Cane at heart. In recruiting, you just get to know these guys. There’s something about him that he just fit in here.”
Williams immediately became the highest-ranked prospect in the Hurricanes’ class and gave Miami the No. 13 haul in the country. Miami still has room to make one more addition whether it’s by adding a transfer or eventually signing three-star defensive tackle Willie Moise, who didn’t sign Wednesday as works to qualify academically after transferring from Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna to Orlando Edgewater.
This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 4:16 PM.
