BREAKING | Notre Dame Lands Four-Star WR CJ Williams
Notre Dame has landed 2022 Mater Dei (Calif.) receiver CJ Williams as he went public with his commitment to the Fighting Irish on Sunday afternoon.
The four-star prospect chose the Fighting Irish over Alabama, Stanford, Texas and USC.
"It was everything I thought it was going to be,” Williams stated. “It met those expectations. They have the beautiful campus, the rich history and the religious background. It was just mind-blowing. It was just different.”
It’s a perfect match as Williams carries a 4.2 GPA while taking AP courses and excels under the brightest lights in Southern California.
“Notre Dame is kind of that mix between everything I'm looking for in a school; very good academics, very good football team,” Williams said. “Then on top of that is the stuff that you can't measure in the culture. Coach (Brian) Kelly does a good job of keeping his boys up to par over there and they make sure they prioritize the right things.”
The people are at Notre Dame also made a lasting impression on Williams as he was able to feel completely at home in South Bend.
"You want to surround yourself with great people and that's exactly what Notre Dame is,” said Williams. “It represents the best in all of us. I think all the coaches there are really genuine."
Mater Dei head coach Bruce Rollinson has seen a plethora of talent come through his program, so when he highlights Williams’ leadership, it’s noteworthy.
“He's very, very talented,” stated Rollinson. “He's the kind of kid that you build it around. Obviously, his leadership is extraordinarily advanced for a kid of his age.”
Williams always had high interest in the Irish, but the Mater Dei star has noticed the recruiting momentum over the last couple months Notre Dame has built.
“They just got the linebacker out here from California,” Williams explained. “They've got a great quarterback commit in Steve Angeli and I know he does a great job of recruiting himself.
“You can just see that they're doing it the right way and they're getting some good kids in the process. I think that's what's really important, recruiting good, quality people who are going to change the program and the culture while maintaining what they have going there.”
While it might not have been easy, Williams and Notre Dame were always the perfect match.
“I go back to what I've always believed,” said Rollinson. “There are certain people who are what I call 'a Notre Dame man' and 'Notre Dame men.' I think he's one of those types.
“He wants the structure of the high academics and athletics. All the I's are dotted at Notre Dame for a kid like him.”
Offers: Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Boston College, California, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Howard, Kansas, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Utah, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Washington and Washington State
Ranking
ISD: 94 (four-star)
247: 94 (four-star)
Rivals: 6.0 (four-star)
ESPN: 82 (four-star)
Composite: 96.37 (four-star)
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