Ryan defensive end Josh Williams has become the latest Raider defensive lineman to commit to play Division I football.

After a visit over the weekend, Williams gave an oral commitment to Nebraska. Oral commitments are non-binding. The first day recruits can sign a letter of intent is Feb. 6.

“I’m very excited,” Williams said. “I went up there unofficial and everything just seemed green and the atmosphere is green and it felt like home. It was just everything.”

Williams chose Nebraska over scholarship offers from numerous other schools, including Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Missouri, Baylor, Texas Tech, SMU and TCU, among others.

Williams said the overall package of Nebraska is what swayed him to the Cornhuskers, along with head coach Bill Callahan, who has years of NFL experience, including taking the Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl in 2002.

Williams expects to play weakside defensive end for Nebraska. He is ranked as the No. 13 weakside defensive end in the country and a three-star prospect on Rivals.com. He is listed as the No. 55 prospect in Texas by the recruiting Web site.

Williams (6-0, 225) tallied six sacks and 22 tackles for a loss for the Raiders last season and is expected to be a pass-rushing force for Ryan in 2007.

The senior follows other Ryan defenders who have had success at the college level. Florida defensive end Jarvis Moss was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos in April. Moss was instrumental in the Gators’ national championship run last year.

Former Raider defensive tackle Derek Lokey has also found success in college, winning a national title with Texas in 2005.

JEFF ANDREWS can be reached at 940-566-6873. His e-mail address is jandrews@dentonrc.com.