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Walker Williams looks before he leaps

Walker Williams, offensive tackle for Tacoma Baptist in Tacoma, Wash., is taking a breath before leaping into a decision on where to continue his football career.
So far, Williams has received offers from Colorado, Eastern Washington, Oregon State, UCLA, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.
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Of these schools, Williams has gone on unofficial visits to Wisconsin, Colorado, UCLA, Oregon State and the UW, saying "it's always good to go out and see the colleges.You don't get to really get a feel for it until you see it in person."
Williams said he enjoyed his visit to UCLA because this is where he received his first offer. At his visit to Oregon State, Williams "did the whole recruiter rounds," describing it as a "true college town," where "everyone is really close knit."
Of Colorado, Williams said it was the nicest campus he has seen. Williams then described Wisconsin as a "nice blend of the city and a college town."
Washington stood out to Williams because he has gotten to know the coaching staff better, especially after having been there "at least four or five times for different camps." Williams said he thinks it is cool the stadium has plans to be renovated soon and likes how the line coach, Dan Cozetto, works.
During these visits, Williams said, "It's nice getting to know how they worked on the field as well as off."
Williams also will be making an unofficial visit to the University of California at Berkeley early next week while visiting family in the area.
This prospect from the Class of 2012 will be playing both offensive and defensive tackle during his senior year. Williams, who stands 6-foot-7, 320 pounds, said he is better at offense, but if the team needs someone on defense he has no problem stepping in.
In preparation of his senior season, Williams has been training and going to football camps, working on strength and speed.
With the level of competition Williams experiences playing at the Class 2B high school level, "it's hard to compare myself with others so that's why I go to camps and work out with the best linemen in the country."
The athletes he speaks of are Josh Garnett of Puyallup, Zach Banner of Lakes and Scott Rose of White River who he has been working out with at Competitive Edge in Puyallup since last year.
Of the recruitment process, Williams said it all "kicked off very quickly. "When UCLA offered it was a really big surprise…two weeks after that, Oregon State offered a scholarship…then the next morning Wisconsin offered. Then after that, once a week a school would offer."
According to Williams, this tells him that his hard work has been paying off.
"The biggest thing I look for (in a college) is a good general feel around the football program. It's hard to explain but you can tell when you click with the players and the coaches and the trainers," Williams said.
Williams won't be making any rush decisions though.
"This is a very long-term decision. It's probably one of the biggest decisions of your life and you're making it when you're 17 or 18 years old," said Williams, who will choose a school "whenever I'm feeling most confident with my decision and feel it's the right place for me."
As of now, Williams said he is focusing his attention on the schools that have put offers out to him, but he's not ready to openly rank them against each other.
Of the UW, Williams said, "I really like Washington and I think it's really nice having an option really close to home and to stay around your friends. I'm glad they have extended an offer to me."
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