Haverford School lineman Joshua Williams announces commitment to Stanford on Inquirer’s Instagram Live

Haverford School offensive lineman Joshua Williams, a star who has played guard and tackle in high school, announced his commitment to Stanford on Monday night. The junior made the announcement on Inquirer Sports Instagram Live.

Williams chose Stanford over Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Rutgers, and others. Picking a school that was strong academically was a focus for Williams, whose grandfather and older brother Cameron attended Penn. His father, Denean, is a Harvard graduate. An opportunity to play college football was a bonus for the talented offensive lineman, who is ranked as a three-star recruit by 247sports.com.

“The mix of academics, the mix of football, the facilities, the weight room, strength, conditioning, it was all great,“ Williams told The Inquirer about his fall trip to Stanford. “Some visits, they will be great in the moment, but then a few days later you’re like, well, it’s still not as good as this other place, I thought. But Stanford consistently has just been in my mind always. It was fantastic, everything about it.”

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The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Williams is the third commitment of Stanford’s 2025 class, joining fellow offensive lineman Siosiua Vete from Oakland, Calif., and quarterback Bear Bachmeier from Murrieta, Calif.

What makes Williams special, according to Haverford coach Brian Martin, is his explosiveness and athleticism at his size. With an 81-inch wingspan, Martin says, it makes Williams look like “he’s about 6-foot-7, but in a guard’s body where he is explosive at 6-4.”

“The fact that he said that he wanted to go to Stanford and get a chance to play football, that was a bonus for him,” Martin said. “And he looks beyond football and he says, what am I going to be after football happens? And Stanford’s the best possibility for him to be successful.”