2024 four-star WR Cam Williams commits to Notre Dame football over Michigan

Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard South class of 2024 wide receiver Cam Williams has announced his commitment to Notre Dame, choosing the Fighting Irish over fellow finalists Cincinnati, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin. This is another big commitment for Notre Dame in what figures to be the first of a string of new additions over the next week.

If you would’ve told Williams back in March that he would end up committing to Notre Dame in the June before his junior season, his reaction would have been puzzled.

“I knew it was a cool place, but I wouldn’t have believed you,” Williams said.

Williams visited Notre Dame April 2 but didn’t hold an offer from the Irish at that point. He also grew up a Michigan fan, and he didn’t plan on making a commitment before his junior year. But after Notre Dame offered him May 5 and he visited campus for the Irish Invasion camp exactly a month later, Williams found his home.

“During the April visit I didn’t have the offer, and I was a Michigan fan,” Williams explained. “But I didn’t have the full details about the school either. I didn’t think I’d make a commitment to a school this quickly, but things change. I found what I needed. I didn’t need to waste any more time.

“Not only the environment at Notre Dame and how the school sets you up for life, but also the location was great, and it hits all the right buttons at the right time.”

Williams is listed as a four-star talent, the No. 2 prospect in Illinois, and the nation’s No. 12 wide receiver and No. 75 overall player in the 2024 On3 Consensus.

He is Notre Dame’s fifth commitment in the 2024 class and third of this month — joining Saline (Mich.) High quarterback CJ Carr and Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic tight end Jack Larsen on the offensive side of the ball. It’s obviously early in the rising junior cycle, but Notre Dame does have the No. 1 class according to the 2024 On3 Consensus Football Team Recruiting Rankings.

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More from Williams on his Notre Dame pledge

Williams had a great time during his early June visit to South Bend, spending time with a handful of Irish coaches and catching passes from Carr during the camp. All in all, it was an eye-opening experience for Williams, according to his high school head coach Ryan Crissey, who joined him on the visit.

“He got to experience and feel campus, and there were times on our visit where he said that the place just felt different,” Crissey said. “Meeting all of the coaches and those who work in the football office and seeing the facilities, it checked every box that he’d want in a college experience.”

Williams informed the Irish staff of his decision to commit about a week after the visit and announced it to the public June 29 on a CBS Sports HQ live stream.

“Coach [Tommy] Rees and Coach [Chansi] Stuckey were excited,” Williams said. “Then I got to talk to on the phone with Coach [Marcus] Freeman, and he was pretty pumped up. It was a good couple of calls.”

The 6-2, 175-pounder thinks the world of the Irish staff, which even includes running backs coach Deland McCullough, who offered him earlier this year while at Indiana.

“They’re people I clicked with from the beginning,” Williams said. “I knew right off the bat that Coach Rees is a really cool dude. And spending time with Rees, Stuckey and Freeman told me everything I needed to know. I knew they were people I wanted to be around for sure.”

Williams has spoken with a few Notre Dame alumni and fellow Chicago native and current Irish safety Houston Griffith.

“The more I learned about Notre Dame, the more it made sense,” he added.

Notre Dame is landing a big-time talent at a position of need, but the fact that Williams grew up a Michigan fan and is now switching his allegiance to the Fighting Irish only makes this commitment sweeter for his new school’s fans.

“There’s a group of Michigan fans in my family, and I took after them,” Williams explained. “I had the idea of not liking Notre Dame. When you’re being recruited, you have to put those reasons away. It’s not so much about whether you liked them or not prior.”

The Cam Williams file

In addition to his finalists, Williams held offers from Arizona State, Duke, Illinois, Iowa State, Michigan State, Missouri and Virginia Tech.

Williams had a highly productive sophomore season, helping lead the Raiders to a 9-2 record. He caught 37 passes for 681 yards and 11 touchdowns.

He’s also a track star, as he reached the 2022 Illinois Class 2A State Track Meet in the long jump, the high jump, and the 100-meter and 200-meter races. He was named all-state in the long jump and 200-meter race.

Williams also earned 2021 Illinois High School Football Coaches Association All-State Academic team honors.

His cousin is Ryan Boatwright, who played college basketball at Connecticut from 2011-15. He’s spent much of the past several years playing ball overseas.

On3’s own rankings list Williams as the No. 3 player in Illinois, and the No. 17 wide receiver and No. 136 overall recruit in the country.

Williams has an NIL Valuation of $65,000, which slots him at No. 266 in the high school football NIL rankings. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.