Duke Offers 2022 Receiver C.J. Williams
C.J. Williams is a four-star wide receiver at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder is one of the top pass catchers in the class of 2022 and has attracted offers from 40 colleges.
Duke is one of the latest to join the scramble to land Williams, extending a scholarship offer in late May. The Blue Devils join Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, LSU, Georgia, USC and Notre Dame among others. All told, 38 of college football’s 65 Power Five schools have already offered Williams.
Williams’ father Shelby played basketball at Alabama, so the offer from the Crimson Tide holds strong sentimental value for the family.
"There is always a home for me at Alabama for sure," Williams told SI’s Bama Central. "They know my dad went there and got his degree so it is important to us. They want me to go there and make a name for myself. They want to me to come down there and feel the environment and meet all of the coaches and build off of that."
Williams intends to cut his list this summer, although the shutdown due to the pandemic has limited his ability to visit schools. He will make one cut this summer and settle on a top five next season. He then plans to choose next summer.
Williams caught 50 passes last season for 684 yards and four touchdowns. He was also named to the Trinity League First-Team on offense.
Duke has offered a total of seven receivers in the 2022 class. Receivers coach Trooper Taylor is one of the biggest personalities and best recruiters on the Blue Devils’ staff. While bringing someone all the way east from California may be a tall task, especially with all the other interested schools in between, coach David Cutcliffe has done it before, most recently with four-star linebacker Ben Humphreys, who graduated after four years in 2018.
