Mater Dei WR C.J. Williams to continue collegiate career with USC Trojans

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Lincoln Riley is continuing to attract some of the top players in California to USC.

On Saturday, the Trojans officially added consensus four-star prospect C.J. Williams to their 2022 class. Williams, who had UCLA in his top two, announced his decision at the All-American Bowl.

Although Williams publicly revealed today that he’ll be heading to USC, this has been known by the program for a few weeks. Williams signed with the Trojans during the Early Signing Period in December, allowing him to get on campus this month.

Williams spoke with On3 about why USC will be his home for the next three-to-five years.

“I would say it’s the relationship that I’ve built with Coach [Dennis] Simmons and then Coach Riley,” Williams said. “At the end of the day, I felt like USC was always a place I wanted to be, or just in the state of California is where I wanted to be. Being able to play at one of those schools meant a lot.”

Williams wants to keep talent in California

It’s been a long time since USC was one of the top college football teams in the country.

Sure, they’ve had four double-digit win seasons over the past 12 years. But, however, the Trojans have yet to reach the heights of their glory days near the start of the century.

Williams says the group that takes the program back to the top will be immortalized in USC lore.

“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 said. “They’re going to be looked at as a legend in the state of California.”

On top of keeping California talent in the state, Riley and his staff are doing particularly well at Mater Dei High School. Three members of the powerhouse program signed with USC in this cycle, with those being Domani Jackson, Raleek Brown and Williams.

Williams talked about what it meant for him to do what he loves while staying close to home.

“I’m certainly a believer that California is where the best football is played,” Williams said. “I made it my job — my duty — to do so and prove so by staying at USC and performing at the highest level and bringing us back to that level.”

Scouting Report on USC’s newest commit

Standing at 6-foot-1, nearly 190 pounds, Williams has been one of the best wide receivers in San Antonio this week. The future Trojan has consistently won in one-on-one reps and worked all areas of the field effectively.

On3’s scouting report highlighted some of the top attributes in Williams’ skill set.

“Technical, polished possession wide receiver,” the scouting report read. “Highly developed and well-coached at a powerhouse program. Soft-handed and is very reliable as an underneath target. Catches everything.”

Williams was also praised for his ability to make catches with players in his vicinity, but it was noted that he’ll need to work on his speed at the next level.

“Has strong hands at the catch point and comes down with the ball in traffic,” the report continued. “Has good releases off the line. Lacks burst and long speed to separate downfield and pick yards after the catch. A year older than the class.”