Kansas snagged one of East Texas' top offensive lineman in June when Nacogdoches' Jacob Bragg pledged to the Jayhawks. On Thursday morning, coach Charlie Weis' staff reeled in an East Texan to anchor the front on the other side of the ball.

Lufkin defensive tackle D.J. Williams committed to Kansas, according to JayhawkSlant.com. The 6-foot-4, 293-pound Williams, who visited Kansas in October, was set to visit Missouri this weekend, but pulled the trigger on his commitment to the Jayhawks first.

Lufkin DT D.J. Williams. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
Lufkin DT D.J. Williams. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
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Williams, who held Houston, Miami, North Texas, and Oklahoma offers, gives Kansas a huge-framed interior defender to anchor the middle of its future defensive line. He had 24 tackles and five sacks as a senior after recording 58 tackles and four sacks as a junior.

Bragg, a 6-foot-4, 311-pound Under Armour All-American, chose Kansas over offers from Louisiana Tech, Oregon State, and ULM. He and Williams are two of the five East Texans in the 2014 class with Kansas offers, joining Pine Tree athlete Caleb Chumley (nine offers), Longview defensive tackle Zaycoven Henderson (enrolled at Texas A&M), and Newton athlete Kevin Shorter (committed to Texas).

Williams is the latest in a growing list of recent East Texas defensive tackles to play or be headed for FBS-level football. A few of the most recognizable names at the position include Lufkin's Jamarkus McFarland (Oklahoma), John Tyler's Ashton Dorsey (Texas), Carthage's Isaiah Golden (Texas A&M), Henderson, and Gladewater's Daylon Mack, a junior committed to Texas A&M who is widely considered the region's No. 1 recruit in the 2015 class and potentially one of the nation's top prospects in that grade. Chapel Hill senior defensive lineman Keith Minor committed to New Mexico on Wednesday night. At 6-3 1/2 and almost 250 pounds, he could possibly bulk up and move to the interior full-time at the college level.

Williams gives Lufkin two FBS-bound players in the 2014 class. Receiver Jamal Jeffery is committed to Texas A&M. The Panthers have a few more FBS prospects in the 2015 class in athlete KeKe Coutee, receiver Terry Mark, offensive lineman Erik McCoy, and quarterback Trey Cumbie.

2014 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

  • Blake Bogenschutz, QB, Carthage, 6-1, 175 -- committed to UTSA (1)
  • Jacob Bragg, OL, Nacogdoches, 6-4, 310 -- committed to Kansas; additional offers from Louisiana Tech, Oregon State, ULM (4)
  • K.D. Cannon, WR, Mount Pleasant, 6-0, 160 — committed to Baylor; additional offers from Arizona, Clemson, Florida State, Houston, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Purdue, SMU, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Utah, Vanderbilt, Virginia, West Virginia (21)
  • Caleb Chumley, QB/ATH, Pine Tree, 6-5, 220 -- offers from Houston, Kansas, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, Missouri, New Mexico State, North Texas, Oregon State, Texas State (9)
  • Joseph Clark, RB/S, Chapel Hill, 5-9, 175 -- committed to Texas Tech; additional offers from Air Force, Navy, Texas State (4)
  • Kade Clayton, ATH, Tyler Grace, 6-0, 180 — offers from Navy, Texas State (2)
  • Terrell Cuney, C, Jasper, 6-3, 260 — committed to Texas; additional offers from TCU, Texas Tech (3)
  • Devondrick Dixon, ATH, Gilmer, 5-9, 180 -- committed to Texas State (1)
  • Rashaan Donelson, QB, Liberty-Eylau, 6-0, 187 -- offer from Navy (1)
  • Adrian Goodacre, OL, Carthage, 6-4, 318 -- committed to ULL; additional offer from Houston (2)
  • Terian "Tee" Goree, WR, Carthage, 6-2, 170 -- committed to North Texas; additional offers from Colorado, Colorado State, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, San Diego State, ULL, ULM, UTSA (9)
  • Davion Hall, ATH, Liberty-Eylau, 6-2, 191 — committed to Baylor; additional offers from Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, SMU, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech (9)
  • Zaycoven Henderson, DT, Longview, 6-1, 300 — enrolled at Texas A&M; additional offers from Baylor, Florida, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, SMU, South Carolina, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Washington, Washington State (18)
  • Travin Howard, S, Longview, 6-0, 178 -- committed to TCU; additional offer from UTSA (2)
  • Willy Ivery, ATH, Sulphur Springs, 5-8, 180 -- committed to North Texas; additional offers from Colorado State, New Mexico, Texas State, Toledo (5)
  • Taylor Jackson, WR, Texas High -- offer from Navy (1)
  • Jamal Jeffery, WR, Lufkin, 5-9, 165 — committed to Texas A&M (1)
  • Chris Jefferson, ATH, Athens, 6-2, 200 -- committed to SMU (1)
  • Jawuan Johnson, DB, New Boston, 6-0, 195 -- committed to Northern Illinois (1)
  • Dorian Leonard, WR, Longview, 6-4, 200 — committed to Texas; offers from Florida State, Oklahoma, Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas Tech (6)
  • Reggie Long, LB, Whitehouse, 6-0, 218 -- offers from Air Force, Army, Navy (3)
  • Ben Luckett, RB, Palestine, 6-0, 195 -- committed to ULM (1)
  • Patrick Mahomes, QB, Whitehouse, 6-3, 203 — committed to Texas Tech; additional offers from Houston, North Texas, Rice (4)
  • Stephan Maxey, DB, Longview, 5-11, 185 -- offer from UTSA (1)
  • Keith Minor, DL, Chapel Hill, 6-3, 237 -- committed to New Mexico; additional offer from Cincinnati (2)
  • Jarrell Owens, LB/DE, Palestine, 6-3, 230 -- committed to TCU; additional offers from Texas State, Texas Tech, ULM (4)
  • Greg Roberts, DE, Nacogdoches, 6-5, 200 -- committed to Baylor (1)
  • Anthony Rhone, LB, Texas High, 6-0, 210 -- committed to SMU (1)
  • O'Keeron Rutherford, WR, Carthage, 6-5, 181 -- committed to North Texas; additional offer from ULM (2)
  • Anthony Sanders, ATH, Athens, 5-11, 185 -- offer from ULM (1)
  • Kevin Shorter, RB/S, Newton, 6-0, 190 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Arkansas, Army, Baylor, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Houston, Kansas, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, San Diego State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, ULM, Utah (22)
  • Brian Thlang, OL, Palestine, 6-2, 290 -- committed ULM (1)
  • Wesley Thompson, ATH, Chapel Hill, 6-1, 185 -- committed to ULM (1)
  • Josh Walker, RB/LB, Gilmer, 6-1, 220 — committed to Texas A&M; additional offers from Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech (4)
  • Tre Walker, RB, Texas High, 5-10, 175 -- offer from Navy (1)
  • D.J. Williams, DT, Lufkin, 6-4, 293 -- committed to Kansas; additional offers from Houston, Miami, Missouri, North Texas, Oklahoma (6)
  • Jeffery Wilson, RB, Elkhart, 6-0, 190 -- offers from New Mexico State, North Texas, Texas State, ULM (4)

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