St. Frances (MD) running back DeJuan Williams saw aspirations for his senior season dashed on the final play of the spring game, suffering a season-ending injury that he’ll continue to rehab once he arrives in College Park in January. The 5-foot-10.5, 195-pound running back has been recovering with local trainers while staying involved with St. Frances along the sideline as he updates his recovery process.
“Just taking it a day at a time. I’m three months in so I’m basically jogging right now, just getting stronger in my thigh,” Williams told IBG. “I’ll be fully healthy next August. That’s when I’ll be fully playing contact again, but in the spring I can run around. I just can’t get tackled.”
Maryland has stayed in close contact with Williams as they’ve maintained the strong relationship that led to his early July commitment. “Coach [Latrell] Scott, coach Lance [Thompson]. They both check up on me every week.”
Williams intended to make it to Maryland for the Charlotte game this past weekend as he looks to make his way back to campus once Big Ten play starts. The local prospect was fond of Maryland through his recruiting process and after giving schools like Ohio State and Michigan a look following his junior season, Williams opted to stay close to home to give the Terps its running back this cycle.
Williams says he’s still comfortably in the fold, but there’s another Big Ten school working to change his mind.
“Like three weeks ago, Nebraska called me. They’ve started recruiting me but that’s really it. I might visit there, I’m not sure yet,” Williams added.
The composite four-star recruit is still staying involved with the Panthers as St. Frances will look to pick up its first win of the season against Life Christian Academy this week. With Nick Harris stepping in to help fill the void, Williams has been filling in as another set of eyes for his teammates.
“I’ve definitely been helping my running backs out, just with the plays and with defenses and stuff like that. They’re all still young.”
Williams is rated a three-star prospect and an 88 overall by On3, sitting as the 19th-best prospect in Maryland and the nation’s 47th-best running back in the 2024 class.
Terps in the NFL: Week One Roundup
Young Terps: Maryland set to renew border rivalry vs. Virginia on Friday
Notes from Tuesday’s practice (+)
Mike Locksley on Virginia’s QBs, renewing regional rivalry, OL and freshmen development
New Jersey OL gets first look at Maryland (+)
Virginia athlete becoming a familiar face in College Park (+)