Ashley Williams Jr. commits to Huskers, talks decision with Inside Nebraska

Ashley Williams Jr. has made his decision: The Class of 2023 defensive end has committed to Nebraska.

The four-star Zachary (La.) High School product committed to the Huskers over nearly two dozen other offers, including Minnesota and Texas as his other top schools.

Williams, a 6-foot-6 and 220-pounder, sat down with Inside Nebraska publisher Zack Carpenter to discuss why he chose the Huskers. You can watch the full interview in the video above or on the Inside Nebraska YouTube page.

“Really, it’s because they took me serious," Williams told Inside Nebraska of why he committed to the Huskers. "They talked to me a lot during my visit, a lot of the coaches were talking to me. That, by itself, showed me where the love’s at.

“[My player host Caleb Tannor] said it’s a good program. What I really took away is that it’s not just gonna make you a better football player. It’s gonna make you a great man. That was something I really took away.”

Williams, who is the Huskers' 14th overall commitment and third defensive line commitment in the 2023 class, made the first official visit of his recruiting process to Nebraska on June 3-5. That wound up being one of two official visits he made and three visits overall as he made an official trip to Minnesota on June 10-12 and an unofficial visit to Texas later in June.

That official visit to see the Huskers became a turning point in how he viewed the program as he got to build upon his relationships with the coaching staff, got to see Nebraska's ongoing facilities upgrade and see what life would be like if he lived in Lincoln.

""The atmosphere there is very electric. I love it. Lincoln, by itself, is a great town," Williams said. "There’s no crime. My parents would not have to be scared of where I’m at. Also, the relationships with the coaches such as Coach Mickey [Joseph], Coach [Erik] Chinander, Coach [Mike] Dawson and Coach Marcell [Lazard] as well.”

Williams' commitment is another major step in the right directions for the Huskers' continued focus on recruiting the state of Louisiana hard. He joins four-star receiver Omarion Miller as their second commitment from the state in this cycle and their fourth player from Louisiana in the last two classes (running back Ajay Allen and receiver Decoldest Crawford signed in the 2022 cycle).

Williams joins defensive end/outside linebacker Maverick Noonan (Nebraska) and defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel (Texas) as the Huskers' third defensive line pledge in the class, and Nebraska is looking to add one more.

The Huskers will continue that pursuit to add more pass-rushing talent to the class, but Williams' commitment is a huge get as they restock Mike Dawson's position room.

Check out more analysis on Ashley Williams Jr.'s commitment from Nate Clouse and Jansen Coburn at Inside Nebraska.