The Recruiting Guy

Relationship with Carter makes Hogs no brainer to make Williams' top 10

2022 athlete Gentry Williams.

ESPN top 25 junior prospect Gentry Williams’ relationship with Arkansas cornerbacks coach Sam Carter made it easy for the Razorbacks to make his top 10 list on Monday.

“For me, Arkansas making the cut was a no brainer,” Williams said. “My relationship with Coach Carter is unmatched. The energy we have and the connection, it’s not fake. It’s a connection that goes past football. I’m grateful I got the opportunity to meet him.”

Williams, 6-0, 170 pounds, of Tulsa Washington, announced Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Georgia, Michigan, Southern Cal, LSU, Nebraska, Arkansas, Florida and Missouri as his top schools.

“He talks to me about football, but he talks to me about being a great man,” Williams said of Carter. “We’ll talk about faith, we’ll talk about family – everything other than football. That’s what really helps me with Coach Carter and our relationship.”

He and his teammate Keuan Parker, an Arkansas cornerback commitment, visited Fayetteville on March 7, the last day the Razorbacks coaches hosted prospects before the NCAA enforced a dead period because of the covid-19 pandemic.

Meeting Carter in-person made a strong impression on Williams and Parker.

“He took us to his meeting room where the DBs meet and he sat us down and he gave us a rundown of what he went through as a recruit and it was like a real conversation,” Williams said. “I feel like he was keeping it really real with us because he pulled us after the whole entire visit and said I want to talk to y'all separately and that just spoke volumes.”

ESPN rates Williams a 4-star prospect, the No. 2 athlete and No. 23 overall recruit for the 2022 class. He’s the No. 2 prospect in Oklahoma.

Williams is close to Parker and Parker’s father, Dwayne Whitaker, a former cornerbacks coach at Broken Arrow.

“I looked up to him for a lot of advice,” Williams said. “He’s just really close to my family.”

He appreciates Parker’s positive influence on and off the field.

“I’m really grateful for Keuan and having him during my high school process,” Williams said. “Not even on the field, but just the presences he brought off the field. Just teaching me to work hard. You don’t have to be loud to be a leader. Him going to Arkansas is a big plus, too, just bringing that family environment.”

Williams doesn't anticipate making any other decisions in his recruitment for a while.

“I’m still taking it slow,” he said. “I just felt like this was the right time for me. I felt confident in what I was doing.”