College Football Recruiting: Central Florida Knights Flip Alabama Commit

The Central Florida Knights are coming off the most successful season in school history, finishing 12-1 with a BCS bowl victory over the Baylor Bears in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. While the Knights toiled in obscurity for most of the season and were overlooked in the discussion of the best teams in college football, they showed that they could hang with the big dogs when they ran away from the high-octane Big 12 champions this bowl season. They’ve continued that momentum into the recruiting season as they have flipped a three-star recruit from the top-rated class of the Alabama Crimson Tide on the day before National Signing Day.

According to Rivals.com, safety Chris Williams has committed to UCF after taking an official visit to Orlando over the weekend. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound prospect from Kingsland, Georgia, was a two-way standout for his high school team as he showed the ability to go up and defend from his safety position as well as a gamebreaker on offense as a running back and receiver. His instincts and ability to make a play on the football have set him apart during the recruiting process and many predict he will be a difference-maker on special teams with his ability to return kicks.

For Alabama, this is simply a matter of having too many great prospects coming in. Williams would have found it difficult to break into the starting lineup early in Tuscaloosa with the likes of five-star DBs Tony Brown and Marlon Humphrey, along with four-star safety Laurence Jones coming to Alabama in 2014. UCF provides an opportunity for Williams to get early looks on a team that is an up-and-comer in the college football ranks. With fewer obstacles in his way to get onto the field at Central Florida, Williams will be able to show what he can do earlier than he would have at Alabama.

UCF will gladly welcome Williams into the mix as he provides a nice boost to their 2014 recruiting class on the eve of National Signing Day. Will his defection to Orlando provide quick returns for Williams with the Knights?

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