Texas State Offers Nacogdoches’ DaRyan Williams

DaRyan Williams hit another milestone Tuesday. His first offer from the FBS level of NCAA Division I football arrived.

Texas State did the honor for the Nacogdoches defender, and it joined FCS programs Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Stephen F. Austin in the initial pursuit for the senior.

Williams (5-10, 199) played linebacker for Nacogdoches last season, but he shined at the ETSN + APEC Football Recruiting Combine last month as a safety. He won the event’s overall Defensive MVP award.

The Bobcats' latest target ran a tied-for-the-fastest time of 4.47 seconds in the 40-yard dash, recorded 3,546 watts of power on the Keiser squat machine and put up 185 pounds on the bench press 17 times ahead of a strong on-field performance.

Williams could be the sixth Nacogdoches defensive back with a Division I offer in a four-year span if he gets moved to safety. Three of the preceding defensive backs ended up being the region’s most recruited player regardless of position in a given recruiting cycle.

Texas State went 2-10 last season under first-year coach and 28-year coaching veteran Everett Withers.

While the Bobcats did not immediately thrive within or outside of Sun Belt Conference competition, their fans see a glimmer of hope on the horizon. James Madison, Withers’ former program, won the FCS national championship mostly with players Withers’ staff had recruited.

Withers, previously a highly-regarded defensive coordinator, also got a crash course with FBS head coaching duties prior to joining Texas State. He led North Carolina as its interim coach for the full 2011 season after Butch Davis got fired and placed the Tarheels in a bowl game.

Urban Meyer hired Withers after the 2011 season to serve as his first defensive coordinator at Ohio State.

A slow start at Texas State didn’t prevent the Bobcats from obtaining one of the region’s most explosive quarterbacks. Lufkin signal-caller Kordell Rodgers joined the program in the past cycle.

Withers’ Texas State staff secured a commitment from a second East Texas prospect in the most recent cycle, but the prospect ended up signing with a junior college.

Williams will become eligible to sign with any Division I program that offers him in December.

2018 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

• Tre Allison, John Tyler, OLB, 6-2, 211 — committed to SMU; additional offers from Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Texas State, Tulane, ULL (7)
• Chance Amie, Tyler Lee, QB, 6-3, 190 — offers from Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, Houston, Iowa State, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Texas, Rutgers, Southern Miss, Syracuse, Tulane, ULL, Virginia (18)
• Xavier Benson, Pleasant Grove, LB, 6-0, 200 — offers from Arkansas State, Army, Memphis, North Texas, Rice, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, ULL, ULM, Wyoming (13)
• Drake Centers, Tatum, OL, 6-3, 296 — offers from SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State (3)
• Kylar Cooks, Liberty-Eylau, OL, 6-5, 252 — offers from Arkansas State, North Texas, Texas State, ULL (4)
• Jeremiah Davis, Lufkin, CB, 5-10, 194 — committed to ULL (1)
• Kris Dike, Van, OL, 6-6, 283 — offers from Colorado, Houston, Memphis, North Texas, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Tulane (8)
• Dekalen Goodson, John Tyler, DE/OLB, 6-2, 209 — committed to Houston; additional offers from Mississippi State, SMU, Texas State, Tulane, ULL (6)
• Trae Hall, Henderson, QB/ATH, 6-3, 185 — offers from Florida Atlantic, New Mexico State, Tulane, ULL, ULM (5)
• Conner Henson, Harmony, OL, 6-3, 243 — offers from ULL, ULM (2)
• Chasen Hines, Marshall, OL, 6-3, 353 — committed to LSU; additional offers from Arizona, Baylor, Louisiana Tech, Minnesota, North Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Rice, Southern Miss, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech (16)
• Tevailance Hunt, Texas High, WR, 6-2, 180 — committed to Kansas; additional offers from Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Florida Atlantic, Houston, Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Memphis, Nevada, North Texas, Oklahoma State, Southern Miss, Tulsa (14)
• Dewaylon Ingram, Carthage, WR, 6-0, 160 — offer from Arkansas State (1)
• Keaontay Ingram, Carthage, RB, 6-0, 198 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Florida State, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, LSU, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, UTSA (27)
• Malik Jackson, Lufkin, WR, 5-8, 163 — offers from Arkansas State, Houston, Texas State (3)
• Kameron King, Marshall, OL, 6-2, 275 — offers from Memphis, North Texas, Tulane, ULM, Southern Miss (5)
• Trevor Lawrence, Whitehouse, DE, 6-4, 245 — offer from ULM (1)
• DeMarvion Overshown, Arp, S, 6-4, 196 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Clemson, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State, LSU, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, SMU, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Stanford, TCU, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, UTSA (30)
• Leonard Parks, Texas High, DE, 6-5, 230 — offer from ULM (1)
• Jonathan Shepherd, Kilgore, WR, 6-3, 196 — offers from Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Houston, Kansas State, ULM, Missouri, New Mexico, Memphis, North Texas, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Southern Miss, TCU, Texas State, Texas Tech (15)
• DaRyan Williams, Nacogdoches, 5-10,199 — offer from Texas State (1)
• Tyree Wilson, West Rusk, LB, 6-5, 225 — offers from Houston, Kansas, Memphis, Mississippi State, New Mexico, Oklahoma State, SMU, Southern Miss, TCU, Texas State, Tulane, ULL, ULM, Washington State, Wyoming (15)