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Florida gained some momentum down the stretch of the 2024 season as it looks to even better things in 2025. But the Gators already got a big-time victory for 2026 with 4-star linebacker Izayia Williams committing to Florida on Thursday night.
Williams is 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, and the product of Leesburg, FL, has decided to stay in-state and head to Gainesville in 2026. As a bonus for Billy Napier’s program, he decided on Florida over SEC rival Alabama, as well as Florida State and Penn State.
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According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Williams is the 53rd-ranked player nationally in the Class of 2026. He is also the third-ranked linebacker in the class and the sixth-ranked player in the class out of the state of Florida, which is saying something when you consider the wealth of talent that comes out of the state in every recruiting class.
Starting in the fall of 2026, Williams will bring his immense talent to Gainesville and to the SEC to try to give the Gators the kind of boost on defense that quarterback DJ Lagway is poised to give Napier’s team on the offensive side of the ball in 2025.
This past season at Tavares High School, Williams was credited with 125 tackles, including 15 tackles-for-loss, 4 sacks and an interception, according to MaxPreps.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
