Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/462058
2015 RECRUITING ISSUE 4.54 40-yard dash and notching a 40- inch vertical jump. In a matter of just a few hours, he went from a relative unknown on the recruiting scene to a must-have for col- lege football fans on messages boards. The college scholarship offers fol- lowed suit, as well. So Williams did what many in his situation would do — he hopped on the first offer. Just a few days after the SPARQ score made the rounds on the Internet, Miami extended a bid. It was a perfect situation. Miami was four hours away from home, and Williams had grown up watching the Hurricanes. After a few more offers rolled in — including one from Notre Dame — Wil- liams committed to Miami on April 12, 2014, during an unofficial visit to Coral Gables, Fla. According to him, everything was set. "I knew I could see my mom a lot if I was there, and she could see me a lot," Williams said. "And that's what I wanted." At least that's what Williams told himself he wanted. While Williams remained pledged to the Hurricanes, Notre Dame continued to flirt with the coveted running back. The Irish coaches invited him multi- ple times to campus for an official visit, but each time a date was set, something came up. Then, on Jan. 2, a phone call changed everything — just like how the SPARQ scored did nearly a year prior. Notre Dame recruiting coordinator Tony Alford reached out to Williams and told him that he was the staff's top running back on the board. He was the guy that the coaches wanted, and they were going to do whatever it took to get him. It was a last ditch effort from the outside, but it worked. Williams listened to Alford's pitch, and he decommitted from Miami that • Nickname is "Flex Man Dex." • First time seeing snow was on his official visit to Notre Dame. 2015 PROJECTION • Will vie with Josh Adams for the team's third running back role. THEY SAID IT Brian Kelly's Comments: "We were looking to get a second back in this class, and we felt like Dexter gave us that breakaway back that we wanted with his second-level speed. We love his family, his mom and dad were extremely supportive of him leaving Florida and coming up here. He knows that his experience at Notre Dame is going to benefit him greatly, not only in the short term but in the long term." Tom Lemming Of Prep Football Report: "He's more of a sprinter. He's got real good speed, great vision and balance. He could be a potential impact player. He's not there yet, but he's one of the top five backs in Florida, and it's a state loaded with running backs this year. He also has good hands, which will be important in Notre Dame's offense." West Orange Head Coach Bob Head's Com- ments: "I had him three out of his four years in high school, and he has a lot of room to grow. He's explosive, and he can get better. We worked him every day on everything, and he's not scared of work, which is why he'll be successful."