Notre Dame football: What C.J. Williams brings to the Irish
By Carlee North
The Notre Dame football program is loading up at the wideout position for the 2022 class, this time landing C.J. Williams from California.
Notre Dame football has landed its second elite wide receiver in a span of a week, this time with 2022 WR CJ Williams, out of California, committing to the Irish. Williams took his official the last weekend of June, which was his last one after taking officials to Texas, Ohio State, and Stanford.
As everyone says, you either feel it when you step on campus, or you don’t, and for Williams, that was obvious and the reason he is now officially Irish. Williams had great things to say about the program after taking his visit, and the opportunity at the wideout position was another big reason.
At the moment of his commitment to the Irish, Williams held 50 offers from the likes of Ohio State, Alabama, Southern Cal, and many of big programs across the country.
What will CJ Williams bring to the Notre Dame football program?
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound wide receiver is going to bring athleticism and elite pass-catching ability to this Notre Dame football program. The Mater Dei wideout reminds me a lot of a former alum in Amon-Ra St.Brown out of high school, as he has the ability to play all the receiver positions, but could be a huge weapon in the slot.
He’s an aggressive pass catcher and isn’t afraid to go over the middle to go after the ball. He has a great short game in the middle of the field and is able to get off the ball quickly and efficiently. Williams also has very solid ball skills, and if that ball is up there, he will undoubtedly be the first to get his hands on it, which also shows he isn’t afraid to be the playmaker that he is.
That’s exactly what type of player Notre Dame needs. When I see clips and films on him, it is evident that he is such a natural pure receiver and it’s refreshing to see. This is another outstanding get for Del and Brian Kelly, especially after landing fellow west coast receiver Tobias Merriweather earlier this week.
With Williams now in the fold, the 2022 class holds 21 commitments with 11 of defense and now ten on the offensive side of the ball. At the moment, the commitment pushes the Irish up to second in the 247Sports team ranking, behind only Penn State, who has three more commits than the Irish, with 24 players in their class.
The wide receiver room now holds three guys, with CJ Williams joining Amorion Walker and Tobias Merriweather.
The group went from the most “needed” to arguably one of the best in the recruiting class. The staff seems to want four in this class and to be honest, as long as Williams and Merriweather are a part of that group, this will be a very solid unit. Another big west coast win for the Irish staff and you gotta love it!