Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES Notre Dame is the latest school to offer New London (N.C.) North Stanly four-star running back Antonio Wil- liams. Due to the brand created by the university as a whole, the Irish imme- diately jumped into the mix. "It really means a lot to get this offer," Williams said. "I've had a lot of interest in Notre Dame for quite some time. I know they have a great history, a lot of tradition and they are clearly one of the best teams in the country. It's just one of those schools you really want to get an offer from. "I had a nice talk with [Notre Dame defen siv e en ds] coach Mike Elston and he gave me the good news," he added. "It kind of came out of nowhere. I knew they were eval- uating my tape, but I didn't expect the offer. It was a nice surprise." Along with Notre Dame, Auburn, Wisconsin, Georgia and Duke, many others have already extended offers to the class of 2016 prospect. Williams be- lieves that more offers could be on the way due to his strong junior season. "My season is going well," he said. "I've had some big games. I think I had back-to-back 300-yard games at one point. I'm just working hard, trying to get better and trying to help our team. I'm getting stronger and faster and I just feel like I'm becoming a more com- plete back. "I don't really have any favorites at this point. I'm trying to slow things down, take my time and not rush into anything. I rushed it when I commit- ted to North Caro- lina awhile back and not do that again. I want to make a decision and stick with it this time. I keep getting new offers every week, so I want to just stay patient." Notre Dame is u n d e f e a t e d a n d Williams has taken notice. However, he only credited the performance on the field as part of the reason behind his interest in the Irish. "They've been getting it done every week," Williams said. "They look re- ally good on offense and on defense. The running game will continue to get stronger, but the whole team is really impressive. "It's just a strong university and team. It's more than just some football powerhouse." — Tom Loy Junior North Carolina Running Back Adds Irish Offer ANTONIO WILLIAMS ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ North Stanly High School New London, N.C. Status: Offered Class: 2016 Position: Running Back Ht.: 5-11 • Wt.: 210 40-Yard Dash: 4.44 247Sports Rankings: No. 166 overall player in the nation, No. 10 running back in the country and No. 4 recruit in North Carolina