The Gophers added a second quarterback to this year’s recruiting class overnight, when DeMarcus Williams, from Jackson, Al., gave them a verbal commitment ahead of today's signing day.
Williams joins former East Ridge standout Seth Green as quarterbacks who are expected to sign with the Gophers on Wednesday, for national signing day.
Both are dual threat quarterbacks, but the 6-1, 190-pound Williams is more of an under-the-radar talent, a consensus two-star recruit who picked Minnesota over Jacksonville State, the FCS school where former Gophers quarterback Max Shortell transferred in 2013.
The Gophers had long planned to sign two quarterbacks in this year’s class, with Mitch Leidner entering his senior year and Demry Croft entering his sophomore year. The Gophers shifted their focus to Williams once Jay Johnson was hired as offensive coordinator.
While Williams’ stated preference is to play quarterback, he has the athletic ability to switch to another position, if needed. He announced his commitment on Twitter:
I thank God,my coaches,family,& teammates for everything. I am proud to say,I will take my talent to The University of Minnesota! #GoGophers
— DeMarcus Williams (@_MarkTho) February 3, 2016
Randy Johnson has been covering college football in one form or another since the early 1990s. He was the Star Tribune’s main college football editor on the copy desk for nearly two decades before returning to reporting in August 2017 as the beat writer for Gophers football. Randy has covered a Rose Bowl (Joe Paterno’s 1994 Penn State team), and he covered a John Gutekunst-coached Gophers team that missed out on the 1990 Weed-Eater Bowl. Email Randy to talk about the Gophers.
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