After seeing Notre Dame and USC go head-to-head last year in Los Angeles, 2027 California defensive tackle Jeremiah Williams is set to see the two rivals go at it again this year in South Bend.
“The head coach had sent me the link to fill out to figure out which game I want to go to,” Williams says of the invitation to attend from Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman.
“I went to the game last year when they were at USC and I love the competition and also getting closer to Notre Dame this year. So, we figured we'd go to that game because it's a rivalry game and also it's a fun game to watch.”
The 6-foot-2, 310-pounder picked up an offer from the Irish back on Pot of Gold Day in March and made an unofficial visit to South Bend for this summer’s Irish Invasion. He’s looking forward to returning for the game in a couple of weeks.
“When I get back there to see how their defense is run, see if I fit their defense of how they run it and also see them warm up,” he says. “I'm going to see if everything is how I like it and at a high level, the crowd, see how the crowd looks out there.”
Williams seems more curious about the structure of the defense than anything, although he does acknowledge having a preference.
“To be honest, I feel like I could play anywhere, any spot they need me at the d-line,” he says. “I'm a very versatile player when it comes down to that. I could hold the edge, I could pile up the middle, whatever you need me to do. Wherever they need me, I'm willing to play.
“I'll play in any style, but if I'm being honest, a four-front, four-down lineman, a 4-3, I feel like that's my style, but either way, I could play in any style they put out there in front of me.”
The Tustin High School star feels honored to have received the invitation from Freeman.
“It's a great feeling, especially having a head coach at Notre Dame, the Notre Dame team that just went to the national championship recently, it means a lot,” he says. “They're really highly-ranked on my list, so I really pray that this relationship gets built.”
So far, he has been building relationships with Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington and defensive line assistant Nick Sebastian.
“I've been keeping in touch with them,” he says. “It's been a great relationship we've been building recently.”
The messages from the coaches have been simple.
“To keep that relationship going and Go Irish,” Williams laughs. “They preach to me every day, Go Irish and make sure I'm keeping in touch with them.
“Coach Seabass, he's a funny guy. He's a real good coach also, especially when I went to the camp. He was a good coach. I could tell just based off of working with them, especially Coach Washington, both really good coaches, really good guys. At the end of the day, I got to meet with them and sit down with them. It was really good, really great first impression from just both of them.”
Williams has an impressive list of offers that also includes schools like USC, UCLA, Washington, Arizona State, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Miami, North Carolina, Georgia and Penn State among many others.
He’s also planning trips to Arizona State, North Carolina and Penn State this fall.
“I'm hoping to narrow my list and make my decision next June,” he says. “That's my idea.
“For me, it's who stuck with me this whole journey? Who's willing to build this relationship with me through this whole process and stay strong and know that they can be an option in my picks. Their coaching, if I really like the relationship we built and I know they could produce me and make me a better athlete and I have my full trust in them, then yes. That'd be my reason to why I'd make that choice.”
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