Jonah Williams was recruited to the 40 Acres to play football, but the two-sport star is starting to emerge on the baseball diamond. The Galveston Ball football recruit went 2 for 4 and three RBIs in his first baseball start in an 8-3 series clinching win over No. 9 Auburn.
Williams is more known for football. The five-star DB is one of the crown jewels of Steve Sarkisian’s 2025 recruiting class. But Williams always wanted to play baseball at Texas as well and one of the reasons he enrolled early at UT was to do so.
Baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle slotted Williams into the eighth spot in the order. Williams started in left field, one of the Longhorns few weak positions.
“What a great boost. We knew he’d be super competitive in there, but to have a guy who’s supposed to be in high school right now, 17 years old, in that setting, tells you what a special competitive athlete (he is),” Schlossnagle said after the game. “He is fun to watch.”
Williams may have won himself a starting spot on the No. 1 team in the nation. After the game, Schlossnagle said Williams will start in Game 3 against Auburn on Saturday, “and for the foreseeable future.” Left field has been a troubling position for Texas since Max Belyeu went down with an injury during the Missouri series.
Williams struck out looking in his first at bat. He knocked in Tommy Farmer IV from second in his next at bat. His third at bat came in the sixth with two runners in scoring position. Battling back from an 0-2 count, Williams sent a hit into center field, scoring two runners and notching his second and third RBIs of the game.
“A lot of persistence and patience, staying consistent with my work ethic, just getting to it every day,” Williams said after the game. “That’s all I can ask for.”
Schlossnagle has been very complimentary of Williams so far this season knowing his a special situation. “Jonah is different because he’s a football guy and if he continues to evolve as a football player who knows if he’s going to be in college in three years,” Schlossnagle said. “He might be in the NFL. Shoot, he might be in Major League Baseball or professional baseball. He’s really improving and he’s a lot of fun to be around. He’s a great guy.”
Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian has basically told Williams to work with the football team when he can, but go play baseball this spring. “I think that starts with Sark, Coach Sark. You know, I’ve coached plenty of football/baseball guys where either the football coach or the assistant football coach, the position coach, is in their ear, putting pressure on them saying, ‘Hey, what are you doing over there? You need to be over here.’ And Sark from Day 1 has been, ‘Oh no man, he’s a baseball player.’ You know, for spring practice we’re going to have to work through some things. But he’s been super supportive and I think that clears Jonah’s mind where he can be all-in as a baseball player. We love having him around and hope that he can help us this year.”