Playing college football has long been on Brock Williams’ mind, but he figured the possibilities would present themselves toward the latter stages of his Libertyville career.
Boy, was he wrong.
After a productive sophomore season on Lake County’s most explosive offense, the 6-foot-5, 210-pound tight end has become highly coveted by a who’s who of the nation’s elite teams.
“Even last year, I was hoping I’d eventually get some coaches to send me letters, but after I got my first offer, everything changed,” Williams said. “Since then, it has been pretty crazy.
“But I’m enjoying every part of it. I’m just finding out as much information as possible and soaking it all in.”
That recruiting process has come in multiple stages, beginning with his first Division I scholarship offer, which came from Toledo on Oct. 14. Power Four teams, including Michigan State, entered the picture soon after.
Still, by the end of 2024, Williams could count the number of offers he had on one hand.
Then came January.
That’s when 6:45 am workouts began resembling a de facto college coaching convention. Williams chatted with coaches between reps, and he sometimes met with coaches during the school day.
“I did not think that level of interest was coming,” he said. “There were times that I got three offers in one day. But so far, I think I’m doing a pretty good job balancing it all out.”
To help Williams do that, Libertyville offensive coordinator Danny Schaechter created a spreadsheet outlining who was planning to visit and when. Libertyville coach Mike Jones, who retired at the end of the season, began to spend quite a bit of time fielding calls from interested parties and sorting through administrative tasks.
“We knew he was talented, but this is the highest level of interest I’ve had recruiting-wise,” Jones said. “It’s been coming at him so fast, but it’s a great thing for Brock. He has a lot of opportunities available to him.”
The number of opportunities officially stood at 27 after Williams’ not-so-coincidental social media post on St. Patrick’s Day welcomed Notre Dame into the club. Other top teams that have extended offers include Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, Tennessee and Texas, as well as Illinois.
The Notre Dame offer came on the day when Williams was driving home from Columbus, Ohio. That was the first of several visits that Williams has planned for the coming weeks.
The Ohio State itinerary included a one-on-one talk with coach Ryan Day.
“That was a little nerve-wracking, but once you sit down with him, you can tell he’s a normal dude and you can just talk football,” Williams said.
All the attention is a byproduct of Williams’ unique combination of size, speed and athleticism. He started in center field as a freshman for the Libertyville baseball team.
Williams was a wide receiver when he joined Libertyville’s varsity football team for several games late in the 2023 season. With a deep group of older receivers already in the Wildcats’ pipeline, a plan was hatched last summer to move Williams to tight end.
The position change suited Libertyville’s personnel. Senior quarterback Quinn Schambow threw 50 touchdown passes for the Wildcats (9-2), and Williams made 35 catches for 608 yards and seven touchdowns. Unbeknownst to Williams at the time, he was establishing himself as one of the top prospects at tight end in his class nationwide.
“He’s awesome to throw to, and he’s very hard to bring down,” Schambow said. “He wasn’t ranked yet, but it was pretty obvious that there’s something special there. Colleges are looking for athletes, and having been around him for a while, you could just tell he was on a different level from the start.”
In addition to Libertyville coaches, Williams’ family is helping him navigate a recruiting process that could easily become overwhelming. Williams’ father Tyler has largely taken on travel duties, and his mother is focusing on the academic side.
“We’re trying to divide and conquer and be the best support system for him and his future,” Tyler Williams said. “When we meet with all of these people, I have to put my dad cap on and not my fan cap. Asking the right questions and finding the right culture is what we want for him. We’re getting accustomed to this now.”
That goes for Williams too. Despite the deluge of interest, it remains important to him that he remains grounded. He realizes he’s fortunate to have so many opportunities available to him and doesn’t take this period of his life for granted.
“I make sure to always stay true to myself and be humble,” Williams said. “Even right now, I don’t think I’m better than anyone. That’s not the way I was raised. I still have so much to work on.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
