Cal adds commitment from 2023 DE Frederick Williams III

It has been a long wait for Justin Wilcox and Cal's staff since the last commitment for the program. That changed Wednesday afternoon when three-star defensive end Frederick Williams III announced his pledge to the Bears over offers from Washington, Boston College, Colorado, Oregon State and UNLV.

Washington made a strong push for the 6-foot-5 edge rusher while Oregon State had come on strong as well, but Cal made the Gardena-Serra standout defensive lineman a priority since offering him in the summer. He took an official visit to Cal this fall, and arrived at a decision within the last week.

"They believe that I am a good fit for their program on and off the field," Williams previously said. "They really like my size and versatility, but what they really like is my ability to rush and disrupt the passer. Coach [Andrew] Browning calls me a 'matchup nightmare' for an offense because of my ability to stop the run and rush the passer from multiple positions across the D-line.

"Getting to the quarterback is what coach Browning wants to improve on as a team, and he believes I could help them do that."

Prior to taking his official visit with Wilcox's team, the Cal head coach was joined by Browning to watch Williams play late in the fall during the Bears' bye week. That attention plus the impact of his official visit helped eventually push Cal over the top in his recruitment.

"I’ve always had a great relationship with Cal," he said. "So to be able to take an official visit and to spend more time with the coaches made that bond even stronger."

Williams took an official visit to Boston College in the summer.

The newest Bears commitment finished his senior season with 43 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss, to go with 4 1/2 sacks.

He is now the eighth commitment for the Bears in the 2023 class with just a few weeks to go until the start of the early signing period. Six of the eight commitments are expected to play on the defensive side of the ball.