With teammates also on ASU’s radar, Trejon Williams intrigued by Sun Devils
Arizona State has cast its reel into the river of Jefferson High before.
A few months ago, the Sun Devils were all over four-star defensive end Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge, but former ASU defensive line coach Jamar Cain snatched him away from his Tempe successor, Robert Rodriguez, and brought the 6-foot-7, 240-pound pass-rusher to Oklahoma.
Fast forward to October. ASU is after new fish -- the 2022 recruiting class -- but still trekked to the Portland high school to recruit.
This time the Sun Devils’ prize is Trejon Williams, a three-star athlete who played alongside Rawlins-Kibonge on Jefferson’s football and basketball squads.
Williams could have talked all day about his Jefferson teammates, about all the fun they have playing together. But, importantly, that doesn’t mean Williams thinks they should all play college football together.
“We really don’t know,” Williams said. “I think everybody is trying to take their own path to make it to the league. You know, everybody’s fit is always the fit.”
Williams’ official offer from Arizona State came in July, part of an offer list that is now up to a baker’s dozen and includes heavy-hitters like Washington, USC, and Penn State. If not for an absence, Williams said, that ASU offer would have come last school year.
Coaches from the Sun Devils made their way north to Jefferson High and seemingly chucked out offers like a free t-shirt toss. Rawlins-Kibonge received one. Damir Collins, a running back now committed to Oregon State, notched one. So did linebacker Jason Davis. But Williams was sick and wasn’t at school that day, so any chance of an ASU offer was put on hold.
Williams picked up his conversations with ASU around June, igniting a relationship with defensive backs coach Chris Hawkins and defensive analyst Anthony Garnett.
“They’re just straight up. They don’t sugar-coat anything, that’s what I like,” Williams said of Hawkins and Garnett. “They just keep it straight up with you about everything -- about life. They’re both just good people on and off the field.
“(They’re also young), I like that too because they can relate to us and know where we’re coming from. A lot of older people don’t really understand that.”
Though listed as an athlete, Williams’ main recruiters give a hint of what the Sun Devils hope he plays in Tempe. He played both wide receiver and cornerback at Jefferson, but collegiate programs look at his 6-foot, 180-pound frame, mixed with speed and versatility, and envision him excelling elsewhere.
“A majority of the schools want me as a safety … I’m going to make most of my money there,” Williams said. “I come downhill really quick and am a ball hawk. It’s just natural … I’ve always had that defensive mindset, so all I do is bring energy to the defensive side of the ball and turn defense into offense.”
Like Rawlins-Kibonge did by choosing to go play his college ball in Norman, Okla., Williams wants to venture out of the Pacific Northwest for his next chapter.
“I want to go,” he said. “I’ve had this talk with my parents like three or four times. We all agreed for me moving as far away as possible but still being at a comfortable place I want to be.”
While most of that will be decided when Williams’ takes his official visits -- if those ever happen again -- he’ll have to weigh his options based upon the relationships, he’s made with coaches across the country.
“I’m looking for (schools) to just be straight up and accepting me as family right away. And I just want to build a relationship with all the coaches,” Williams said of his recruiting wish list. “It’s going good (with ASU).”
Join your fellow Sun Devil fans on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, to discuss this article and other ASU football and recruiting topics. Not a member yet? Sign up today here and get all the latest Sun Devil news!
