UH Williams’ journey leads back to Cougars
Signee’s first team in youth play bore same name as new squad
Maurice Williams officially joined the Houston football program Wednesday when he signed his letter of intent.
But the photographic evidence suggests Williams has been a Cougar at heart for a long time. The paperwork was more of a formality.
Williams, a versatile four-star safety recruit from Shadow Creek, posted a photo on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, of him as a young kid, around 7 or 8 years old, donning a full UH uniform complete with shoulder pads and helmet.
“Been a Cougar since Day 1,” Williams wrote in the post. “Dreams do come true.”
“That was the first little league team that I played for when I started out,” Williams told the Chronicle. “It was my first year ever playing football, so it’s kind of crazy to see that come around full circle.”
Williams is one of the top recruits in the Cougars’ signing class. He flipped his commitment from LSU to UH over the summer, opting to stay closer to home. He remained steady on his pledge after the firing of head coach Dana Holgorsen and the subsequent hiring of former Tulane coach Willie Fritz.
Williams has already graduated from Shadow Creek and will be enrolling early.
“I think that’s the greatest part of it all, being able to stay home, stay close to family,” Williams said. “They can come to every game and support me, and I can put on for the city. That’s the goal, that’s the plan. … It’s been a long journey, so to finally be able to sign somewhere and graduate high school early and enroll in college early, it’s a really great feeling.”
Williams will be joined at Houston by Shadow Creek teammate Zion Taylor, a three-star edge rusher. North Shore threestar tight end Kaleb Thomas and
Westfield three-star offensive lineman Ray’Quan Bell also signed Wednesday to bolster the local flare of the signing class.
Williams is classified as a linebacker by 247Sports and is listed as the No. 21 player in the country at that position, according to the site’s composite rankings. But he’s really more a hybrid player and moved all around the field during his high school career.
After spending his freshman year at Episcopal, Williams became a defensive staple for Shadow Creek. He helped the program post a 29-6 record with three district titles under head coach Brad
Butler. Williams has collected more than 180 tackles, 10 forced fumbles, eight interceptions and eight fumble recoveries during his high school career.
Now he has a chance to make his mark at the next level. With Fritz taking over the reins, Williams is excited for what UH can accomplish in the Big 12.
“The first impression was really good with the whole staff,” Williams said. “It’s been a great first impression. They’ve shown me they’re very interested and very excited to have me, and I’m very excited to be there and play for those guys.”
As for what kind of player the Cougars are getting, Williams is not shy about his intentions.
“Houston, y’all for sure getting a dog,” he said. “I’m a player who’s going to do anything for the team, a player that’s going to give it his all. I want to lead the team eventually. They’re getting a physical, tenacious, ferocious player. I want to bring the energy to Houston when I get on the field. I want to bring all the energy and hype the crowd, interact with the fans and all that.”