Notre Dame Strengthens Bond With Illinois Standout Wide Receiver Cam Williams
The Irish Invasion brought some of the best talent in the country to South Bend for a Sunday afternoon camp and the opportunity to impress the Fighting Irish coaching staff
Some were looking to earn a scholarship offer, but for Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard South standout wide receiver Cam Williams, it was about continuing to build a connection with the Notre Dame staff. Williams already earned an offer from Notre Dame, which came back in early May.
The 6-3, 175-pound four-star wide receiver ranks as the nation's No. 121 overall player and No. 2 player in Illinois according to the On3 consensus rankings. Although offensive coordinator Tommy Rees ran the point on his recruitment initially, wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey has taken over the reins recently, and it has paid huge dividends. Williams and Stuckey are building a relationship on topics that go beyond the football field.
That relationship went to another level at the Irish Invasion.
“The camp overall was good,” Williams told Irish Breakdown. "I loved being there. Coach Stuckey and I were practically together all day, and he gave me certain tools that will help me better myself as a receiver.”
Williams is beginning to be drawn more and more to the Notre Dame program due to the collaborative effort the entire coaching staff. Rees may have been the one to extend an offer to Williams, but his deepest relationship is still with running backs coach Deland McCullough. That relationship began when McCullough was still at Indiana.
Then, you add the magnetic personality of head coach Marcus Freeman, and it becomes easier to see why the Fighting Irish are in a great position with the young pass catcher.
The success of the coaching staff’s collaborative efforts seemed to have somehow transferred to Williams and other recruits. As the day progressed at the Irish Invasion, Williams found himself conversing with Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic tight end Jack Larsen and Saline (Mich.) High School five-star quarterback CJ Carr. Williams has known Carr for some time, but this was his first opportunity to meet Larsen in person. Initially, there were pleasantries, shared stories and experiences about the campus, the camp and the coaching staff; but the transition that was to come was organic and unexpected.
“CJ and I already knew each other, and I met Jack today,” Williams explained. "We started talking a lot about Notre Dame being a possible spot for all of us to play together. That would be amazing.”
Carr will make his decision known on Thursday night, and Larsen is considered a very strong lean to the Irish, although he has yet to set a timeframe for making a decision.
Although Williams already had an offer, there were other prospects he is tight with who earned offers. One of those being 6-3, 170-pound athlete Brauntae Johnson of Fort Wayne (Ind.) North Side. Johnson is listed as a wide receiver, but Notre Dame worked him out at safety. Johnson was a standout during camp, which earned him an offer from the Irish after the camp was over.
“I was happy for my boy Tae Tae,” Williams said. "We know each other from some other camps and stay in touch with each other.”
Williams already had an offer from Notre Dame, and the Irish staff has made him an early priority, but that didn't stop the Glenbard South star from still wanting to work out and compete. Williams displayed smooth and crisp route running, but what really caught people's attention was the 4.47 in the 40-yard dash.
For Williams, the memorable aspect of camp was working with Carr.
“CJ’s ball is really smooth,” Williams detailed. "It felt really nice coming into my hands”
As he made his way back to Chicago, Williams wasn’t shocked at how much he enjoyed himself in South Bend. He knows what the program has to offer on and off the field and has a strong relationship with the coaching staff. The instant bond with Carr and Larsen was unexpected, and it gave him a lot to think about on the road.
As he tweeted about his experience, a certain notification of someone liking his tweet sparked him to reach out to the individual.
“I saw Drayk (Bowen) like my tweet, so I just wanted to say thank you,” Williams told Irish Breakdown. "The conversation was real simple. We kind of just gave each other the scoop of our visions at Notre Dame.”
Williams says he’s going to think about things and wait for CJ Carr’s upcoming announcement before releasing his top schools. His thought process going into Irish Invasion was about gathering information and getting back to Notre Dame for a gameday experience in the fall, but the brotherhood that he found on the field that Sunday afternoon was a gamechanger and although his timeline hasn’t changed, the domino effect of the Carr, Larsen, Williams trio could be activated Thursday evening if CJ Carr puts on the “ND” interlocked hat.
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