Williams impressed with how the Buckeyes approach recruiting

Kourt Williams is not an Ohio State commitment, though perhaps that could change in the coming weeks. What the Bellflower (Cali.) St. John Bosco star is, however, is one of the Buckeyes' top overall recruiting targets.

The Rivals100 safety/linebacker prospect will likely announce his college decision during the month of July. Ohio State is among his five finalists along with Penn State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Tennessee. Williams has done his homework and taken his time, making official visits to all five programs over the past couple of months.

Whether Williams ultimately lands at Ohio State will be known in a matter of weeks, but the four-star prospect has certainly been impressed with the recent surge of recruiting momentum around the Buckeyes.

"Sixteen official visits the weekend I was there, you don't hear that a lot," Williams said. "I just feel like with the new coaching staff and how they are recruiting players, I just think a lot of guys like the way they are going about it. When I went up there on my official, I could see why."

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How are the Buckeyes going about it and why is it an attractive strategy to so many national recruits? Williams shared his insight from his experiences with the Ohio State staff.

"I think, at least from my point of view and how they have recruited me, it's just being honest," he said. "Just how they recruit me. They don't sell you on the high glamour stuff, they keep it real with you and tell you the truth. They really have a way of making sure you have a relationship with both your position coach and the head coach. I can't really speak for other positions, but at least for me talking to coach Hafley, I can say that the relationship I have with him is one of the most genuine. Just how he talks to me and the honesty."

That official visit to Columbus in June is still sitting well with Williams as he was able to have even more of those honest conversations that he enjoys with the coaches.

"It's kind of ironic because it was actually the first official visit that I setup but it ended up being the last official visit that I actually took," he explained. "It was really good just getting to talk to coach Day and coach Hafley a lot more and spending time with the players. I was able to get more in-depth on the academics. They're definitely still in a good spot."

Williams' good friend and fellow Californian Clark Phillips kicked off that weekend with a pledge to the Buckeyes. Phillips has now turned his attention to Williams.

"He's just trying to see where my head is and how I feel," Williams said. "He lets me know why he committed and why he thinks I should commit to Ohio State. We're always just talking though, we've been friends for a long time."

While Phillips did consider Cal, his list was more of a national one. Williams has taken things even a step further as he was adamant that he wanted to leave the West Coast.

"Like you can see in my top five, they're all far from the West Coast," he explained. "I just wanted a new experience. I wanted to see new things. Big Ten, SEC, ACC, those are really the conferences that get you to the next level."

Williams is looking at a 'late July' time frame right now for when he will announce a commitment.