Notre Dame football officially signs its top-ranked 2024 commit: Five-star Cam Williams

On Wednesday, Notre Dame football signed an On3 Industry Ranking five-star wide receiver recruit for the first time in 15 years. Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard South senior Cam Williams made it possible by putting pen to paper to officially become a member of the Fighting Irish. 

Williams is the No. 39 overall recruit and No. 9 wide receiver in the 2024 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. The 6-foot-2½, 196-pounder is also the No. 2 prospect in Illinois.  

In On3’s own rankings, Williams is the No. 25 player and No. 6 wideout. However, On3 will not finalize their rankings until after this winter’s high school All-America games are complete. Changes will also come to the On3 Industry Ranking. Still, If Williams maintains his spot, On3 should award him a fifth star. They typically assign five stars to 32 prospects per cycle to align with 32 first-round NFL Draft choices. 

On3 began rating prospects in the 2021 cycle. 

Before Wednesday, the Irish had not added an On3 Industry Ranking five-star wide receiver recruit since Michael Floyd in 2008. Floyd was the No. 25 player and No. 8 wideout coming out of Saint Paul (Minn.) Cretin Derham Hall. 

One primary recruiting media service, Rivals, rated Irish 2020 class signee Jordan Johnson a five-star recruit. But he was a four-star — No. 43 overall and No. 6 at the position — in the On3 Industry Ranking. 

Williams verbally committed to Notre Dame on June 29, 2022, over 17 other Power Five programs. He reported his scholarship offer from the Irish on May 5. The school’s former offensive coordinator, Tommy Rees, was his primary recruiter. 

Before he picked up an Irish offer, Williams paid two unofficial college recruiting visits to Notre Dame. The third sparked the pledge he stood pat on for over 18 months. Williams announced his commitment 24 days after participating in the program’s Irish Invasion camp. Cincinnati, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin finished as finalists in his recruitment.

Over the next year and a half, Williams reported 13 recruiting visits to Notre Dame. Eleven days after his final game day visit on Nov. 18, head coach Marcus Freeman abruptly fired wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey. The decision caught Williams and others by surprise. But as he did when other Power Five programs tried to push and prod during his pledge, Williams stayed the course with Notre Dame.

“Loyalty is very important,” Williams told Blue & Gold on Dec. 4. “I’m not one to take comments seriously, but I know last year in the 2023 class, we lost a lot of important people. There’s always going to be people who are negative Nellys. They will be like, ‘He’s going to leave anyway. He’s going to do this anyway.’ And I’m not saying that’s the reason I’m still here.

“Obviously, everyone has their reasons for leaving, but I wish people involved and want to watch us play do not have to feel that way. Sometimes when I see, ‘Cam might leave, Cam is just going to leave, give it two years,’ it’s upsetting. I know why I picked Notre Dame.”

Freeman replaced Stuckey with Mike Brown, who offered Williams at Cincinnati. And the early return on their relationship is encouraging.

“He’s a chill guy with a great demeanor, which I love,” Williams told Blue & Gold last Thursday. “He knows what he’s doing, which is the important thing. I like his demeanor as a coach. I think me and him will end up having a great connection because of how comfortable I know I am having him as my position coach.” 

Notre Dame’s Cam Williams was a versatile weapon for Glenbard South 

Williams left a legacy at Glenbard South High. He is his high school’s all-time leader in receptions (121), receiving yards (2,602), touchdowns (54), points scored (324) and yards per catch (21.5). 

An outstanding senior campaign helped him secure those marks. In 11 games, he caught 37 passes for 909 yards and 12 touchdowns. He added another dimension to his game by contributing 468 rushing yards and 6 scores. Williams also played defense and had 26 tackles (12 solo), 2 for loss, 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery.

As a returner, he took back 10 kicks for 478 yards and 2 scores and 10 punts for 283 yards and a touchdown.

The Illinois High School Football Coaches Association named him to their Class 5A All-State team. He also earned a spot on the All-Conference and Dupage Daily Herald All-Area teams for his efforts. 

Williams replicated those three honors as a junior in 2022, including winning Upstate Eight Offensive Player of the Year. In 10 games, he hauled in 47 passes for 1,018 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding 98 rushing yards and a score on 13 carries.

In 2021, Williams emerged on the varsity team to lead the team in receiving. He totaled 43 receptions for 769 yards and 11 touchdowns. That season helped him achieve All-Conference honors for the first time.

Williams also participated in track and field at Glenbard South. His best time in the 100-meter dash was 10.86 seconds. He also registered a 21.98 mark in the 200. In the long jump, his personal record is 7.41 meters. That was the longest jump in the entire state of Illinois last spring.

When Williams arrives in South Bend in January, he will have the chance to make an immediate impact as he did at Glenbard South. He will be one of five new faces who will accompany just five returning players, only four of whom have appeared in a game. 

Williams will participate in the All-American Bowl on NBC in San Antonio on Jan. 6.