One of Clemson’s lone remaining recruiting targets is four-star safety Seth Williams.
The talented defensive back, out of Lakeside High School in Atlanta, saw his recruitment really take off back in the spring, with Williams now holding more than 50 offers in total. That list has been trimmed down to two, with Clemson and Georgia being the final two schools standing.
Williams was originally planning to announce a decision on Friday, July 3, but about a week before, he hit the pause button and postponed his commitment.
On the same day he was planning to announce, Williams sat down with The Clemson Insider, broaching a number of topics, including what kind of role the financial aspect will play when it comes to choosing a college destination.
“We are getting paid to do this coming out of high school,” Williams told TCI. “We are 17-years old, and we are making a million dollars, half a million, $300 grand. It is just different. At first it is fun. In high school you are playing with your friends on Friday night. Building relationships is one of the funnest things in your life. But when you get paid to start doing it, it becomes a job. This is no longer a sport. This is a job. But if you have a job that you really love to do, it is not really a job. And I love to do it.”
Williams insists that he is taking more of an old-school approach to the process. While he readily admits that the money is part of the equation, what he is looking for is a coaching staff that can help prepare him best for playing in the NFL.
“Money is great. If you get it, you get it,” Williams said. “But at the end of the day, I feel like my development is key. It is one of those things like, would you rather give a man a fish or teach a man how to fish?
“You could give me money, and I might not make it to where I want to go. But if you teach me what to do to make more money, and get me to where I want to be, that is development. For me, development is key. I feel like development in college, that is the prime example of everything because you only get four years, or now we have a five-year rule, but I want to go to the league in three.”
Williams cited the college careers of several former star defensive backs, including Clemson’s A.J. Terrell and Nate Wiggins, as to what the development he’s looking for looks like. His goal is to play at the college level for three years, then enter the draft fully developed and ready to contribute.
“In the NFL, you are who you are,” Williams said. “There is no developing. You are coming to play the sport that they want you to play, and that is why those guys make millions and millions of dollars. Because they are already developed when they get there. They already know what to do. Of course, there is certain stuff you pick up on, because it is the NFL, but at the same time, it’s like those guys come in ready to make plays and produce.”
Williams committed to Clemson on the spot back in March while on an unofficial visit. He quickly informed the staff the next day that he’d made the decision too quickly and needed to take more visits to be sure. Since then, his stock has skyrocketed, with a majority of his major offers coming over the past three months.
Florida, Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia were originally his four finalists, and were all scheduled to get official visits. After attending Clemson’s big official visit weekend, and heading to Athens the following weekend, he canceled his two remaining officials, knowing it had come down to the Tigers and Dawgs.
Williams has referred to both Clemson and Georgia as dream schools in the past, making his decision that much more difficult. And he’s been pretty clear about money not being the hangup when it comes to stretching the process out a little longer. He knows the real money comes later, at the professional level.
“I might make a little money now, but it will never match what I want to get when I make it to the NFL.”
Photo courtesy of Seth Williams on X (formerly known as Twitter)