Tag: C.J. Williams

Watch: New Badger QB hits familiar wide receiver for touchdown

The Badgers had their first outdoor football practice of the season Saturday, with many of the new faces making plays on the field.

The Badgers had their first outdoor football practice of the season Saturday, with many of the new faces, including quarterback Tanner Mordecai, making plays on the field.

The SMU transfer signal-caller was able to hit wide receiver Chimere Dike in stride for a touchdown at practice, which could be the first of many for that pair in 2023.

With offensive coordinator Phil Longo joining Luke Fickell in Madison this year, his air raid offense is expected to help Wisconsin make a substantial leap through the air.

Along with Mordecai, the Badgers brought in wide receivers C.J. Williams (USC), Will Pauling (Cincinnati) and Bryson Green (Oklahoma State) among others this offseason.

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WATCH: Wisconsin football releases hype tape after first day of spring practice

Watch Wisconsin football’s hype tape from their first spring practice:

The Wisconsin Badgers started their spring practices this past weekend and released a short hype video on Twitter on Saturday night to give fans a first look at this year’s team.

The video highlights several drills throughout the practice and features several transfer players including quarterback Tanner Mordecai, receiver C.J. Williams, and outside linebacker Jeff Pietrowski. Cinncinatti transfer receiver Will Pauling also made the hype tape with a fantastic diving catch on a deep ball.

Wisconsin’s returning players were also featured, as running back Braelon Allen made a great juke, and tight end Jack Eschenbach had a nice grab across the middle from a Mordecai pass.

It is exciting to see this team finally taking the field, especially with ‘The Launch’ event on Apr. 22 just around the corner.

Transfer Portal: Notre Dame misses on C.J. Williams a second time

He’s headed to the Midwest this time but again not to Notre Dame.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…

For the second time in as many years, Notre Dame lost out on the talents of wide receiver C.J. Williams. The former four-star wide receiver from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, announced his transfer decision on Thursday.

The USC receiver recorded four receptions for 34 yards in his debut college season.

The former Notre Dame commitment who shunned the Irish for USC last winter was scheduled to visit South Bend this weekend. That visit was cancelled and Williams announced his commitment to Wisconsin.

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As Notre Dame tries to rebuild the wide receiver position in short order, Williams committing to Wisconsin does no favors for the Irish’s depth. There is no guarantee he would have secured a starting role at Notre Dame, but he instantly becomes Wisconsin’s best receiver.

That said, Notre Dame remains unproven at wide receiver. There is some nice talent Chansi Stuckey has helped steer to Notre Dame, but if you think potentially adding a wide receiver who was viewed as a top-100 prospect in last year’s recruiting class wouldn’t have been a boost then I can’t help you.

That said, it’s not exactly the end of the world, either.

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Related: Notre Dame Transfer Portal Tracker 2022-23

BREAKING: Wisconsin lands four-star USC transfer WR C.J. Williams

Wisconsin lands their highest-rated wide receiver in the modern recruiting era

It just keeps rolling for Luke Fickell, Phil Longo, and Wisconsin’s new staff. The latest big splash? The Badgers have officially landed four-star USC transfer C.J. Williams in the transfer portal.

Williams was a top-100 recruit in the class of 2022, and had offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, and Michigan coming out of high school.

He was the No. 6 wide receiver in the state of California coming out of high school according to 247Sports.

He played in ten games last season, and caught four passes for 34 yards. Georgia, Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Texas A&M were all heavily in on the California native during his transfer portal recruitment.

Here is a look at some of the reaction from Wisconsin fans and college football media:

Notre Dame to host former commit, USC WR

This would go a long way in getting the wide receivers room up to snuff.

When [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] was first named Notre Dame head coach in December of 2021, he mentioned a couple of times that he didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.  That was in reference to him choosing Ohio State over Notre Dame as a recruit.  Now a former Notre Dame target and commitment has a chance to “not make the same mistake twice” too.

Wide receiver [autotag]C.J. Williams[/autotag] was a Notre Dame commitment in the 2022 recruiting cycle for months.  After [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] left for LSU, Williams ultimately flipped to USC very late in the process.  Williams entered the transfer portal last week and according to the great Tom Loy of 247Sports, is supposed to visit Notre Dame this weekend (subscription required).

Williams snagged four receptions for 34 yards in his debut season for the Trojans.  He was rated as a four-star prospect out of Mater Dei High School a year ago and was supposed to be part of Notre Dame’s three-wide receiver class that ultimately consisted of just Tobias Merriweather.

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Williams choosing Notre Dame this time around would go a long way in catching the wide receiver room up to speed on where it needs to be.  It wouldn’t be considered elite by any means with his addition but it’d be another solid addition to a room that is starting to compile young talent.

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Former Notre Dame commitment transferring from USC

What would have happened had Notre Dame been able to keep his commitment?

At one time before the early signing period in December 2021, it appeared Notre Dame was going to land a good amount of wide receiver talent from the West Coast. [autotag]Tobias Merriweather[/autotag] wound up at Notre Dame, but former Fighting Irish commitment [autotag]C.J. Williams[/autotag] of Santa Ana, California, flipped his commitment to USC.

After one season at Southern Cal, Williams appears to have had enough. On Tuesday he entered the transfer portal. Williams hauled in four receptions for 34 yards this fall for USC.

Notre Dame held his commitment for some time before Williams ultimately chose USC over the Irish and UCLA. With it being incredibly difficult to enter Notre Dame as an undergraduate transfer, one would assume they’re out in terms of possible new landing spots for Williams. UCLA would certainly make plenty of sense.

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Trojans lose WR C.J. Williams to transfer portal, as depth at that position creates unfavorable math

The USC Trojans are losing WR C.J. Williams to the portal. Incoming transfers crowded him out in 2022. He needs and deserves a chance to play more. We wish him the best.

A day after the USC Trojans lost a heartbreaker to the Tulane Green Wave in the Cotton Bowl, the transfer portal news began.

On Tuesday, wide receiver C.J. Williams decided to enter the portal, according to Pete Nakos of On3.

Williams was used sparingly this season, finishing with just four catches for 34 yards in very limited action.

The Trojans WR room was one of the best in the country, with Jordan Addison, Mario Williams, and Brenden Rice all transferring in prior to the 2022 season and playing big roles.

Tahj Washington and Kyle Ford were also on the roster, not to mention Michael Jackson III, so there wasn’t any playing time for C.J. Williams.

Things were going to get even more difficult for Williams in 2023. Makai Lemon and Zachariah Branch, a pair of five-star WRs, are entering the program in 2023, and the trojans also landed Arizona transfer and Pac-12 leading WR Dorian Singer.

Williams went to Mater Dei High School, and the UCLA Bruins were interested in him before he chose to go to USC, so the Bruins could make another run at landing him.

With the season over in crushing fashion, and Lincoln Riley and his staff once again active in the portal, we should see more players heading out in search for other opportunities.

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Full list of commitments made at 2022 All-American Bowl

See all 10 commitments at the All-American Bowl, including Kevin Coleman picking Jackson State, Trevor Etienne going Florida and Hero Kanu choosing Ohio State.

Ten elite players announced their universities of the future at the 2022 All-American Bowl.

Kevin Coleman, Trevor Etienne, Earnest Greene, Davison Igbinosun, Hero Kanu, Rayshon Luke, Daniel Martin, Cyrus Moss, Larry Turner-Gooden and C.J. Williams all committed to schools during the bowl.

The big surprise was Coleman choosing Jackson State, a Historically Black College & University that already had the commitment of Travis Hunter.

Etienne, meanwhile, chose Florida while Williams joined a pair of his high school teammates at USC to play under Lincoln Riley.

The West won the game 33-14, but just as exciting as the action on the field was what took place off. See a list of all 10 commitments below.

Texas Football Recruiting: Evaluating remaining 2022 wide receiver targets

Wide receiver recruiting is exciting to think about for Texas fans right now. Here are the remaining targets at the position.

Wide receiver recruiting is exciting to think about for Texas fans right now. Even from the outside perspective, it is easy to understand why.

Over the past two NFL drafts, Steve Sarkisian is expected to have been the offensive coordinator for four first-round draft picks plus the Heisman Trophy winner in DeVonta Smith. High school recruits will naturally follow that kind of reputation.

Four-star prospects Evan Stewart and Armani Winfield have already cemented their place in Texas’ 2022 recruiting class. The latter gave his commitment in the middle of Alabama‘s national championship performance, while Stewart’s pledge still stands as the biggest win in Sarkisian’s early days as a recruiter in Austin.

Texas is expected to take at least two more wide receivers before the 2022 class is all said and done. Even a fifth could be added if the fit is right. Sarkisian and Andre Coleman want to revitalize the position room, making it one of the best in the country. Hopefully, Casey Thompson/Hudson Card/Maalik Murphy will be thanking them for years to come.

Here is an in-depth look at the remaining targets at wide receiver for the 2022 class.

First, an in-state speedster

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Four offensive recruits Texas should push for after Maalik Murphy’s commitment

Recruiting momentum is real and Texas must be able to capitalize after landing Maalik Murphy. Here are four prospects Texas should push for.

Getting Texas back on the national recruiting scene was one of the biggest tasks that Steve Sarkisian needed to accomplish early on. In-state recruiting was always going to sort itself out for a program such as Texas, but being able to dip into other states is what builds national championship-caliber teams. Continue reading “Four offensive recruits Texas should push for after Maalik Murphy’s commitment”

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