USC moves to No. 30 in the recruiting rankings after C.J. Williams commits

Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei four-star wide receiver C.J. Williams has found his dream school in USC.

The once-Notre Dame pledge announced his commitment to the Trojans over UCLA during the first quarter of Saturday’s All-American Bowl in San Antonio. It was a big first quarter for Williams, who also caught an impressive touchdown pass for the game’s first score.

Williams is a big pickup for USC, which jumped from No. 43 to No. 30 in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking.

He is the eighth pledge in the Trojans recruiting class, joining the seven recruits who signed during the early signing period.

Williams is joining his Santa Ana Mater Dei teammates Domani Jackson and Raleek Brown in the Trojans recruiting class. Jackson is the nation’s top cornerback and a Five-Star Plus+ prospect while Brown is a top-100 recruit and dynamo on offense.

In addition to having three commits from Mater Dei, the Trojans also have two commitments from fellow powerhouse Las Vegas Bishop Gorman in four-star safety Zion Branch and four-star cornerback Fabian Ross.

The On3 Consensus — a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting services — has C.J. Williams as the No. 117 overall prospect and the No. 21 wide receiver in the 2022 class.

He is the sixth-best player from the state of California. Jackson is the No. 1 player from California and Brown is the No. 3 player from the state.

“I truly believe that whoever brings USC back to that championship —Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart — level is going to be put on this pedestal for the rest of their lives,” Williams told On3. “They’re going to be looked at as a legend in the state of California.”