Cam Williams Has Elite Talent But Is Focused On The Finer Points At Notre Dame
There is no doubt that Notre Dame needs better play and better production from its wide receiving corps, and that improvement will need to come with a new-look group. Notre Dame lost five players from its 2023 depth chart, but fortunately for the Irish staff they welcome some very talented newcomers, and that includes elite freshman Cam Williams.
Williams was committed to Notre Dame for over a year before in signed his letter of intent in December. The Glen Ellyn, Ill. native was recruited by former Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and former receivers coach Chansi Stuckey, but he is no stranger to new position coach Mike Brown, who Marcus Freeman hired in December to coach the wide receivers.
Williams, an early enrollee, already had a relationship with Brown even before he was hired by Notre Dame.
"I'd known Coach Brown prior (to Freeman hiring him),” Williams said of his connection to Brown. "It wasn't that hard to kind of bond with him, considering that we had a relationship when he was at Cincinnati and a little bit of Wisconsin, and I knew how good of a dude and coach he was prior, so I was fully comfortable. I kind of let the other guys in the class know, like Logan (Saldate) and Micah (Gilbert), that we're in good hands. So, we're all excited about it."
Williams believes Brown will help him develop on and off the field.
"He understands, not only the game, but just us as people and players,” Williams stated. "He's a player's coach 100%, and I know people say that about a lot of coaches, but (he) legit is here for us and wants to see us thrive. It's way bigger than just what happens on the field with him so.”
Williams brings elite physical traits with him to Notre Dame. The 6-2, 191-pound receiver committed to the Irish as a sophomore but continued to show improved physical tools over the next two years in high school. His route running has become more refined, his strength popped as did his athleticism and fluidity on the field. He knows there is more to show now that he is a college receiver.
"Obviously, stuff in high school, I was able to get away with, but I know here, details are a big thing,” Williams explained. "I can excel as a route runner, I know I need work. It's easy to just run straight as fast as you can and catch the ball. So, something like route running and footwork, I think I've already been working and getting that better. I have no doubts I'll be able to achieve a status of a route runner that I want to be."
Williams has a plan to learn more about the nuances of the position and apply them to his own game.
"Being such like a larger frame, I will kind of watch smaller receivers, how quickly and how much easier they're able to kind of navigate themselves," Williams explained. "I've seen big guys do it, too. I think just being more clean and crisp. I tend to round a lot of routes just because of my frame. I don't know how to use it yet. That's just the two behind it. So it's little stuff, but it's really big stuff.”
Williams also has something that can’t be taught: speed. He has a verified 4.4 40 time and he averaged nearly 25 yards per reception as a senior (37 receptions for 909 yards) at Glenbard South High School after averaging 21.7 (47 receptions for 1,022 yards) as a junior.
The losses of the five receivers from last year’s team created opportunities for this year’s roster. In addition to the three incoming freshmen, transfers Kris Mitchell, Beaux Collins and Jayden Harrison will also be part of the mix (Collins is finishing his degree at Clemson and will join the team this summer).
Veterans Jayden Thomas, Deion Colzie, Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison, and rising sophomore KK Smith, who missed all but the Sun Bowl with an injury, are all in the mix in what has become a deeper and more talented position group in a short amount of time.
"Even with like the transfer guys and Micah and I as freshmen coming into this room, we can all accept that this entire room has changed and needs change,” Williams commented. "We all want to be part of that change. I know we're going to hold each other accountable. We've already got a great bond going.”
Notre Dame needs that talent to translate into big time production in 2024 if the Irish are going to make a push for the College Football Playoff.
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