Schools to Watch After 4-Star RB Antonio Williams Decommits from Wisconsin

North Carolina running back Antonio Williams, the original member of Wisconsin's 2016 recruiting class, is no longer committed to the Badgers.

A holdover pledge from the past coaching regime led by Gary Andersen, he announced intentions to explore other collegiate opportunities Wednesday afternoon:

The triggering point for this decision is Williams' desire to visit other universities in good conscience. He plans to spend Saturday at Ohio State in an unofficial capacity, per Evan Flood of 247Sports, and informed Wisconsin coaches Tuesday.

"This is being done out of pure respect for the staff and I would not feel like an honest individual if I did not do this and took a visit to another school," Williams wrote.

The 4-star prospect initially pledged to Wisconsin last December, days before Andersen bolted for Oregon State. Williams, a senior at North Stanly High School, maintained that verbal pact for 10 months despite sweeping staff changes that featured the mid-February departure of running backs coach Thomas Brown. 

Brown now serves in the same position at his alma mater, Georgia. That makes the Bulldogs a potentially compelling factor moving forward. Head coach Mark Richt already holds a commitment from standout in-state rusher Elijah Holyfield, though we saw him sign a pair of 5-star prospects (Nick Chubb and Sony Michel) at the position in 2014.

It's unclear how consistently Georgia and Williams have communicated recently, but Brown appeared to make him a priority when he first returned to Athens.

"I talked to Coach Brown after he left, and he explained how he wanted to get his sons near his family back home and by their cousins," Williams told Ryan Bartow shortly after the coaching move. "He said he will be recruiting me for Georgia now."

Despite an established rapport between Brown and Williams, one of Wisconsin's conference rivals could actually be the top contender in play here.

The Buckeyes have built enough credibility with Williams to warrant this development. Prospects don't typically break a commitment in order to visit a campus unless they already have strong convictions about that destination.

His upcoming trip provides another wrinkle in what's shaping up as a very interesting situation for the Buckeyes' future offensive backfield.

Ohio State already holds three 4-star commitments from prospects expected to compete for touches at running back and H-back. George Hill, Demario McCall and Kareem Walker have each been on board for at least seven months, though there is fluidity to the situation.

Credit: 247Sports

Walker spent last Saturday at Michigan alongside several fellow New Jersey natives who previously pledged to the Wolverines. Those peers, and Jim Harbaugh's staff, are hard at work attempting to flip America's top-ranked running back before national signing day.

"I had a good trip to Michigan. It's the second time I've been there but the first time with this staff," Walker said in a statement, via Tom VanHaaren of ESPN. "The game atmosphere was tremendous, fans really love the team. I enjoyed speaking with the coaches and meeting everyone."

He also revealed plans to use all five of his official visits, so stay tuned with Walker.

Hill traveled to East Lansing for a pair of Michigan State matchups earlier this season. Former high school teammate L.J. Scott is the Spartans' leading rusher through six games as a true freshman.

"It was great watching L.J. do so well because we are such great friends. They are pushing me to commit to them and so is L.J.," he told Detroit News reporter Allen Trieu.

Ohio State presently boasts the nation's most impressive rotation of running back recruits in the 2016 cycle. The Buckeyes could arrive at signing day with the same status but a shuffled deck.

The past 13 experts' predictions in Williams' 247Sports Crystal Ball project the 5'11", 210-pound playmaker to ultimately sign with Ohio State. If he commits this weekend while in Columbus, it could set off a series of events in the recruiting spectrum that impacts multiple Big Ten teams.

Williams, rated seventh nationally among running backs in 2016 composite rankings, has rushed for 7,673 yards through three-and-a-half seasons of high school football. He is averaging a career-best 11.9 yards per carry this fall, according to MaxPreps, with 18 touchdowns through seven games.

Tyler Donohue is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Tyler via Twitter: @TDsTake.