Jayden Williams says he truly didn't know where he was going to college until shortly before he released his commitment video Tuesday night, choosing USC over Washington.
Williams, a 3-star defensive back from Corona Centennial High School, had recorded two separate outcomes for his video and continued to mull the decision.
"It was so close. Like 50-50. I ain't even lying, it was really 50-50. I didn't know where I was going. I was so stressed about it," Williams told TrojanSports.com shortly after his announcement. "After talking with my family, I was like, I've got to do what's best for me, which is SC."
He also had a 15-minute phone call with Trojans coach Clay Helton shortly before that, which helped seal the decision in his mind.
"I just got off the phone with him like 15 minutes ago. He gave me the whole get-down, just keep doing what I'm doing. I gave him the green light, I told him I want to be a Trojan," Williams said. "[I thought], yeah, this is a go. It don't get no better than this -- USC, baby. I'm going to LA."
He'll officially sign his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday at 8 a.m. in a ceremony at the high school.
Williams, listed at 6-foot-1, 198 pounds, said he expects to start out at cornerback but can also play safety. He was the second DB to commit to the Trojans on Tuesday night after 3-star safety/nickel Dorian Hewett (North Shore HS/Houston, Texas) announced his pledge earlier in the evening.
USC made a spate of late offers to defensive backs to help address their pressing needs in the secondary.
JUCO cornerback Jaylen Watson (Ventura College) and 2-star safety Kaulana Makaula (Punahou School/Honolulu, Hawaii) committed after their official visits two weekends ago while Hewett and Williams joined the class Tuesday, after each taking official visits to USC last weekend.
Altogether, that gives the Trojans seven DBs in this class now, after 4-star cornerback Max Williams (Gardena Serra HS), 3-star safety Briton Allen (IMG Academy/Orlando, Fla.) and 3-star versatile DB Trey Davis (Federal Way HS/Federal Way, Wash.) signed in December.
USC is also hoping to sway 4-star cornerback Adonis Otey (Blackman HS/Murfreesboro, Tenn.) off his Arkansas commitment while waiting on a final decision from 3-star DB Tuasivi Nomura (Williams' teammate at Corona Centennial HS).
USC returns no proven cornerback with redshirt-sophomore Greg Johnson and sophomore Olaijah Griffin the only returning players with any notable experience at the position. At safety, the Trojans will be counting on redshirt-sophomore Isaiah Pola-Mao (shoulder) and sophomore Talanoa Hufanga (collarbone) to return from injury and anchor the safety spots.
"That was one of my big factors. They showed me the whole thing and it looks like I can come in and do my thing. A lot of people coming back from injuries, stuff like that," Williams said.
But that wasn't the biggest factor in his decision, he said.
"To me, I looked past football, I looked past everything. To me, it was more about the education and how much time and effort that they're going to put into me with the tutoring," he said. "It's worth a billion dollars. Like, that's a dumb decision if you don't make that. It was more the degree part and the networking."
He hopes to study business or kinesiology.
As for his work on the field, he tallied 44 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions and 6 pass break-ups as a senior at Centennial HS, according to the team's MaxPreps stats. He played mostly cornerback this fall after playing safety earlier in high school. He was high school teammates with both USC 4-star defensive end early enrollee Drake Jackson and Nomura, who will announce his college choice Wednesday.
Williams described his style like this: "Physical, short-minded -- I take it play by play, just try to make big plays."
Williams had just come off his official visit to Washington two weekends ago when USC offered him and quickly got him on campus the following weekend.
It was a quick recruitment, but the Trojans took an aggressive approach in closing the deal.
"They've been talking to me literally like every single day. Coach Nansen, the linebackers coach, has been calling me every single day, and then today Coach Helton [called today]," Williams said.
He wasn't necessarily expecting the Trojans to jump into the mix this late in the process, but he also said he didn't dwell on the delayed interest.
"Yeah, I was surprised. I didn't think they would ever pull the trigger on me, but they did," he said. "I kind of didn't really care about when they offered me. It was just me going to see it for myself, and when I got up there I just literally fell in love -- like this is where I could be for the next three to four years."
