Aeris Williams commits to MSU

West Point star running back Aeris Williams finally made the call today. He has long favored the local Mississippi State Bulldogs. It was easy to see how comfortable he was at MSU and around the coaches a few weeks ago when I saw him at MSU's Big Dawg camp.

Williams is the top running back in the Magnolia state for the 2014 cycle. He is around 6-1 210 pounds. Scout.com has him rated as the 46th best running back in the country and three stars. Rivals.com has him rated as the 47th best running back in the 2014 class, the ninth best prospect in Mississippi, and three stars. 247sports.com has him rated as the 134th best prospect in the nation overall and the ninth best running back, the fourth best prospect in Mississippi and four stars.

Williams chose MSU over offers from Wisconsin, Florida State, among others, and interest from Ole Miss and Alabama.

The recruitment of Aeris Williams was rather quiet. He was always a big time player and a big piece of the 2014 puzzle in Mississippi, but it was always thought that he would end up at MSU. Florida State and former MSU staffer, Tim Brewster, gave a hard run at signing the West Point running back. Williams is originally from Wisconsin and the Badgers coveted him highly, as well.

Williams is a polished prospect with a good body for the running back position, however, it also looks like a frame that could find a home on the defensive side of the ball, as well. MSU is taking him as a running back and loves him at the position. However, a few weeks ago at Big Dawg they wanted him to get some work in at defensive back. I have to say, he looked awfully natural with his footwork and hip flexibility on the defensive side of the ball. While I think he will be a good running back, I could see a scenario where his ceiling might be higher on defense. He reminds me a lot of arguably the state's top back in 2013, Ashton Shumpert. There is a lot to like about Williams.