A handful of the Richmond area’s top high school football recruits in the Class of 2025 announced verbal college commitments over the weekend, with Thomas Dale’s Shamari Earls and Matoaca’s Caleb Williams joining forces at South Carolina, and Warriors two-way star Bryce Yates taking his talents to Pittsburgh.
Earls, a four-star (247Sports) defensive back and track standout whose recruitment exploded since the conclusion of the Knights’ 2023 season, said he and Williams were together much of the weekend and announced their decisions to play for the Gamecocks in conjunction with each other.
“Just my connection with (defensive backs) Coach (Torrian) Gray, the whole defensive staff and (head) Coach (Shane) Beamer, the love, it feels like home,” Earls said when asked what drew him to Columbia, South Carolina.
“I’m not even at the school yet, and the relationships I have with people, donors, it’s big, me knowing I can come out with a degree, connections to help me in life, it’s awesome.”
The Gamecocks first contacted Earls in February of 2023, he said, and afforded the 6-foot-2, 195-pound speedster his first SEC offer. Earls then visited Columbia last April, and said since, Gray has kept in touch and the two have developed a strong rapport.
“The secondary we’re going to have, corner wise, recruits plus the guys they already have, it’s going to be elite,” Earls said.
Earls, an elite track athlete who has excelled in the 55-meter dash and long jump, held a wealth of strong offers including interest from Alabama, Michigan, Penn State, Miami, Georgia and Virginia. He was born and raised in the Richmond area, and started playing football around 4 or 5 years old.
In his junior year with the Knights, Earls proved a formidable deep threat at receiver, finishing the season with 888 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 37 receptions to go along with 180 kick and punt return yards.
Defensively, he had three interceptions and was in on 30 tackles (nine solo). He said some schools were interested in his contributions on both sides of the ball.
But Earls feels his best potential is at DB, and opposing teams often avoided throwing at him. He’s considering biomedical engineering and computer science as potential majors at USC.
Developmentally, Knights head coach Kevin Tucker and assistant Mike Davis have been among Earls’ most cherished mentors, in addition to Highland Springs assistant Kytwan Heath and parents Vansier and William Earls.
“The sacrifices they made, all the trips we took, the time out their day, to be able to let me go see things for my future, it means a lot to me,” Earls said of his parents’ commitment to his own football journey.
Tucker said Earls’ improvement was exponential — his game and physical attributes “exploded” this past season, and recruiters took notice.
Last offseason, Earls focused on improving his fundamentals and mental approach to the game, commitments which helped take his game — and recruitment — to the next level.
“I know I can play but I would get in my head in games and lose my key fundamentals,” he said.
“This year, I just did what I do best, played through injury to help my team best I could. Every play, I just had a motor and athleticism that others don’t have, that God gave me the gift of having.”
Williams, a 6-5, 250-pound defensive lineman, was the 2023 All-Metro defensive player of the year after amassing 95 tackles, 25 for losses, and 15 sacks.
He was also a four-star prospect, and fielded interest from a number of strong programs including Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Penn State and LSU.
“We was together all weekend, we didn’t leave each other’s side,” Earls said of Williams. “We’ve both been feeling the same way ... we were both always on South Carolina.”
Yates, a 6-0, 170-pound leading contributor in all three phases for the state semifinalist Warriors, he reeled in 79 receptions for 1,193 yards and 15 touchdowns and carried eight times for 36 yards and a TD this past season.
At defensive back, he notched 27 tackles and six interceptions with one returned for a TD. Yates’ offer list included JMU, Maryland, Duke and East Carolina.
South Carolina last year went 5-7 (3-5) SEC. Pitt finished 3-9 (2-6 ACC).
Meet the 15 Richmond High School football recruits to watch in 2025 and 2026
Caleb Williams, defensive line, Matoaca: The All-Metro defensive player of the year was at the top of the scouting report for every opponent, said Warriors coach Fred Stoots. And yet, the 6-5, 250-pound pass rusher and four-star recruit still amassed 95 tackles, 25 for losses, plus 15 sacks. Per 247Sports, the battle for Williams’ signature is a three-horse race between Penn State, Virginia Tech and South Carolina. Virginia and West Virginia are also part of a strong offer list.
Bryce Yates, receiver/DB, Matoaca: After an electric junior season in which Yates caught 79 balls for 1,193 yards and 18 touchdowns and intercepted six passes, the offers have started to ramp up for the Warriors’ talisman. JMU, Duke, Pitt, ODU, Maryland and Appalachian State are among the offers listed by 247Sports for the 6-0, 170-pound first-team All-Metro and All-State selection.
Shamari Earls, receiver/DB, Thomas Dale: Earls was a second-team All-Metro honoree after an explosive junior season in which he piled up 888 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 37 receptions (24 yards per catch) while registering three interceptions, four pass breakups and 16 solo tackles at DB. But his season was not nearly as explosive as his recruitment has become — in the months since the season ended, offers have poured in for Earls (6-2, 195), now a four-star recruit (247Sports) with an impressive offer list that includes Georgia and reigning national champion Michigan. Virginia, Virginia Tech, James Madison, Old Dominion, Liberty and West Virginia are also among schools to offer Earls, but 247Sports lists South Carolina as the current favorite.