Football Recruit Who Said His Notre Dame Visit "Went Great" Never Actually Visited Campus

Barry Petchesky|published: Mon 21st January, 14:30 2013

Georgia high school running back Stanley Williams committed to UGA two summers ago, but he may be having second thoughts. As his star has risen, he's received interest from a number of big-time programs, including, he says, Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Oregon, and Notre Dame. The junior is planning to weigh all his options, and that includes making plenty of campus visits this offseason.

Williams was scheduled to travel to Notre Dame this past weekend, and take in Saturday night's ND-Rutgers basketball game. Yesterday, he told Blue and Gold Illustrated all about his trip.

"The visit went great," Williams said. "It was great to experience something new and different, and we had a great time at the game. I had been looking forward to it for a while, and it was great to just get out there and see a new place. I plan on getting up there a couple more times in the future."

One little problem. Williams never actually went to Notre Dame.

A pair of Notre Dame writers flagged the quote, saying his scheduled campus visit didn't happen. 247Sports's Rusty Mansell reached out to Williams to ask if he had gone to Notre Dame, and Williams replied, "No sir."

So what happened? This isn't a Mitch Albom situation where a writer filed a story before it took place (or didn't take place)—Williams actually gave those quotes. He also spoke of talking with Notre Dame tight ends coach Scott Booker, and says Booker promised him an offer would be forthcoming. The most logical guess, which itself isn't particularly logical, is that Williams hoped to increase his standing with other universities by claiming an offer from a team fresh off a BCS Title Game appearance. It was only a matter of time before the robust recruiting community caught him out, and it took less than a day.

"After taking the visit there," Williams said, "they are definitely high up there on my list." The sentiment probably isn't mutual any longer.

Recruit talks up Notre Dame visit that never actually happened [SB Nation]