Tennessee football: 2022 JuCo DB Desmond Williams commits to Vols

Josh Heupel hasn’t wasted any time trying to address the inevitable future void in the secondary. On Monday, Tennessee football secured its third defensive back commitment within the past week and its second straight junior college commitment.

Desmond Williams, initially a product of Georgia but a junior college prospect out of Mississippi, became the 17th commitment for Rocky Top’s 2022 class. With no ratings yet on any services, he is listed as a cornerback across the board.

A graduate of Mary Persons High School in Forsyth, Ga., Williams just finished his third year at East Central Community College in Decatur, Miss. and has two years of eligibility remaining. He announced his commitment to Tennessee football on Twitter.

With the losses of Alontae Taylor, Theo Jackson and Kenneth George Jr., it was always evident that UT would need to rebuild its depth at defensive back this offseason, and immediate help would be part of that. Williams is the latest commitment in that effort.

Last week, the Vols first received a commitment from Christian Harrison, the son of Rodney Harrison. Then they added a commitment from junior college defensive back Jourdan Thomas. All three of them are listed as cornerbacks.

At 5’11” and in the range of 185 to 190 pounds, Williams is definitely a guy the coaches are looking to bring in as an immediate contributor given his eligibility status. They must see something in him nobody else does. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, Williams is incredibly athletic and has great hands for a cornerback. He also is great at staying with receivers. These are all huge assets, but he obviously won’t get away with playing that aggressive in the SEC. That’s the one thing he needs to work on.

Thomas, Harrison and Williams are the only three defensive backs committed in Tennessee football’s class so far for 2022, but more could be coming. Heupel is starting to gain steam now with the regular season over.