On Tuesday, Buchholz’s Justin Williams and Evan Walker were named the Gainesville Quarterback Club’s Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year.

Less than 24 hours later, the Super 11 duo, who have been playing together since the fourth grade, signed with Division-I schools during the early signing period on National Signing Day.

“It’s getting harder and harder in this era of the transfer portal,” said Buchholz football coach Mark Whittemore, whose team will play on Friday in the Class 6A state semifinals. “Most schools used to take 28, teams are taking 15, maybe 20, so it’s getting harder and harder to sign with Division-I institutions, so kudos to these guys. Obviously, their talent speaks for itself.”

Williams, who was runner-up for the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 6A Player of the Year last year, made his commitment to the University of Florida official when he signed with the Gators.

“It’s a family here (UF), and I always dreamed of playing here, and I like the new coach (Jon Sumrall),” Williams said. “The new coach fits my agenda…I just want to max out my potential. I see what they did with Myles (Graham) and I want that to happen to me.”

Two weeks ago, Williams sealed the Bobcats’ win against Nease (Ponte Vedra) in the regional semifinals with an offensive touchdown and a pick-6 on defense in the final seconds.

Last Friday night, in his fourth straight region final, Williams had over 100 yards rushing in the second half as the Bobcats (12-1) rallied past Mandarin (Jacksonville) in the FHSAA Class 6A-Region 1 Final to advance to their fifth straight state semifinal.

“Coach Sumrall is getting one of the best football players that I’ve seen,” Whittemore said. “He plays on both sides of the ball, special teams, leadership qualities, big play-making ability, but an incredible steadiness, and he can play a lot of positions for the Florida Gators.”

Whittemore has often said Williams “is not your ordinary 4-star” football player.

“He could be a defensive player at the next level,” Whittemore said. “He can be a running back, he can be a slot, he can be a safety, he can be an outside backer. There’s a lot of things that Justin Williams can do, but that’s why he’s got athlete by his name.”

As a junior, Williams helped lead Buchholz (10-4) to their fourth straight state semifinal by rushing for over 1,000 yards (108 carries for 1,023 yards and 16 touchdowns) and adding over 1,400 yards receiving (85 receptions for 1,473 yards and 13 TDs).

It marked the first time that a player in Florida went over 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season since former NFL player Devin Hester, who played for Suncoast High School (Riviera Beach), achieved the feat in 2002.

Despite having a bullseye on his back in his senior campaign, Williams still had 1,059 yards and 12 touchdowns receiving on 64 receptions, along with 492 yards and nine touchdowns rushing on 76 carries (6.5 yards per carry).

“He has steadied this ship, and he has been a rock for us, both on and off the field, and never waffled, never wavered,” Whittemore said. “He’s got some guys that have gone before him, like Myles (Graham) and Creed (Whittemore), who have invested in his life as well, and so he’s had good mentors.”

Walker, who thought early on his future was going to be in basketball, originally committed to Air Force but signed with Central Michigan.

“Air Force is a great program,” he said. “Coach (Troy) Calhoun runs a great ship over there. They’re one of the best programs in the country, one of the best military schools in the country. I just thought Central Michigan was a better fit for me. I fit more into their packages for me, and it’s just a better fit for me and my family.”

Through 13 games, Walker is second on the team with 66 tackles (39 solo, 27 assists).

“Buchholz always has the moniker of gritty, not pretty, and Evans lived up to that and has fit in perfectly since day one,” said Buchholz defensive coordinator Chuck Bell. “It’s been fun to watch him grow physically… he and I have had a pretty close relationship and I’ll always be appreciative of him and his mother for trusting our program and trusting me personally. I just couldn’t be happier to see all of his dreams come true today.”

He is also second with 20 tackles for a loss, six sacks, and two forced fumbles.

Walker helped set the tone early in the season with 10 tackles in a 15-13 win at home against 4A regional semifinalist Vanguard (Ocala) in the season opener.

“From game one, we had eight new starters on defense,” Bell said. “This isn’t a very big senior class for us, so he knew that he had to step up.”

The 6’3, 225-pound defensive end continues a trend of defensive linemen to sign with Division-I schools, joining Gavin Hill, Kendall Jackson, and Nick Clayton.

“Those younger years I was about 175 pounds, six-foot, small guy just willing to work, willing to learn,” Walker said. “I just wanted to be a student of the game, just take up as much as I can from those talented players. They’re really talented and taught me a lot of their skills, so I was just very grateful for that.”

Walker finished with 63 tackles as a junior and was second behind Clayton with 18 tackles for a loss.

His team-leading 14 sacks were the most for a Bobcat since current Los Angeles Charger Chris Rumph had 18 sacks in 2016.