MADISON, Wis. — Ask coaches, teammates and family members about what makes Wisconsin receiver C.J. Williams tick, and one of the first phrases to come up is his competitive spirit. He pushes himself to succeed in everything he does. In the weight room. In the way he takes notes during a psychology class. And most definitely on the football field.
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That competitive spirit, combined with his athleticism and natural talents, propelled Williams into the first-team offense during spring practice after transferring from USC. He demonstrated a jaw-dropping array of downfield catches that highlighted what a difference-maker he could be in Wisconsin’s new offense under coordinator Phil Longo.
It’s that competitive fire that leads Williams to believe he should constantly be doing more to help the team. Yet for Williams, managing that passion as part of a crowded wide receiver room may be one of the most significant challenges that he’ll face.
During Wisconsin’s 35-14 victory against Georgia Southern last Saturday, Williams was visibly upset on the sideline as the offense struggled. Inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta and wide receiver Quincy Burroughs pulled him aside to talk to him as he paced near the team bench. Williams said this week that his frustration centered on how he and the offense were performing.
“I think sometimes that we struggle to execute and do our job as a receiving corps,” Williams said. “And I think like every other receiver out there, I have frustrations in all the different things, in my teammates, because I expect so much more out of us as a group and myself as an individual.
“So I think that’s where that frustration really came from. I don’t think it was anything with ill feelings toward not playing. I think it was just frustration with the situation. It was a 7-7 game, and I think that’s a team that we should’ve been blowing out of the water, in my personal opinion.”
Make no mistake: Williams is clear that he is grateful for where he is. He simply wants to figure out how he can best contribute with the role he’s been given.
Although Williams exited spring in the starting group, that came before Oklahoma State transfer wide receiver Bryson Green returned from a shoulder injury. Green and Williams often play the same position, and Green established his physicality and ability to win 50-50 balls during the preseason to take the starting role away from Williams.
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Williams has played 87 offensive snaps through three games, per Pro Football Focus, the fifth-most among Wisconsin’s wide receivers. He has four catches for 25 yards.
“I’ve definitely spoken to Longo about situations that may not be happy or things that may not go in my favor,” Williams said. “I think it’s just having that relationship and being open with each other is what’s really powerful for me, and it allows me to be more comfortable with the situation, honestly. Obviously, we’re all out here to play football. Shoot, that’s what I’m going to do every time I get out there. Can’t worry about nothing else.”
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Williams was a four-star recruit from Santa Ana, Calif., rated in the 247Sports Composite as the No. 10 receiver in the 2022 class. His addition represented one of the major transfer coups for the Badgers and made him the highest-rated wideout the program had signed in the internet rankings era.
Even though Williams’ on-field impact hasn’t been what many anticipated, his father, Shelby, said his primary message to C.J. has been to understand the value of perspective.
“There’s a lot of guys who would love to be in this position,” Shelby said. “So recognize everyone wants to be a starter, but you’re in the rotation, you’re getting an opportunity, so let’s just make sure we have perspective. Obviously, you fight and grind to become a No. 1, but being a No. 2 at a Power 5 school, it’s not the worst thing in the world.
“You can be frustrated, but you’ve got to be poised about that and making sure you use that energy to elevate yourself. Don’t use that energy to make the situation worse. Use that energy to craft your game and become a better football player.”
After Williams’ breakout spring, he was one of four Wisconsin players selected to participate in an advertisement campaign for Pepsi. Williams said he was approached by the agent in Los Angeles who handles his NIL deals. The other three players were wide receiver Chimere Dike, running back Braelon Allen and quarterback Tanner Mordecai, each of whom had been multi-year starters in college. Williams, meanwhile, caught four passes for 34 yards as a reserve last season at USC.
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The ad campaign speaks to Williams’ marketability, as well as what sponsors and fans believe is possible for him on the field. But he said he doesn’t feel any added pressure to live up to other people’s expectations. He puts enough of that on himself.
“My biggest thing is I want to come out here every single day and prove myself right,” Williams said. “I don’t think I necessarily have to prove anything to anybody else but my family and the people that were there for me in the beginning. Obviously, being a part of that campaign, it puts your name in a bigger light. But I don’t really see it as anything other than proving it to myself.”
Green said he and Williams have grown close in the past eight months because they learned the ropes at a new school together as transfers. He noted Williams’ work ethic hasn’t waned one bit and that they are constantly pushing each other to improve.
“The great thing about C.J. is he’s very mature,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “Some guys obviously would not handle it as well. Some guys have not handled it as well. C.J.’s done a great job of it. I know it probably is a little bit different deep down inside, as everybody wants the opportunities to play more, to get more balls, to have more targets and things like that. But you wouldn’t know the difference. At least I wouldn’t. And don’t think I don’t watch because that’s what I do.”
Williams, when told of Fickell’s comments, said he appreciated the sentiment.
“I definitely think that he thinks I’m still a high-level guy,” Williams said. “Even though I haven’t gotten as many snaps that I thought, I still believe that him, coach Longo and (receivers) coach (Mike) Brown all think I’m a high-level guy. I know they have a lot of trust in me. So I think that’s where it really carries for me.”
Wisconsin entered the season with high expectations, particularly for an offense transitioning to an Air Raid passing approach led by Mordecai and a slew of talented receivers. So far, there hasn’t been an abundance of explosive plays. None of the team’s wide receivers have caught more than five passes in a game. Green and Skyler Bell have been targeted 15 times, Will Pauling 14 times, Dike 12 times and Williams seven times.
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Last Thursday, Wisconsin receiver Keontez Lewis — who was just on the outside of the top five — announced he would be transferring. Mordecai said he has been impressed with the selflessness of all five of the team’s top receivers.
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“I want to get the ball to C.J. and Chim and Will and Skyler and Bryson as many times as I possibly can,” Mordecai said. “I want the best for them. I want them to accomplish every individual goal that they have.
“But I think that’s going to come when our offense starts clicking and we start to do what we want to do. But they’ve done a great job. They don’t whine and moan about this or that whenever they don’t have touches or whatever it may be. There’s none of that. So I’m very happy and grateful to have guys like that on our team.”
Williams has earned a handful of opportunities with varying results. He was targeted on three consecutive plays during the second quarter of the Washington State game. Mordecai overthrew him in the end zone, completed a 4-yard pass on the right sideline and then put a ball on Williams in the end zone that went through his hands as defensive back Javan Robinson played great coverage and slapped at Williams’ left arm. Williams said he was still disappointed with himself for not making the contested catch.
But he offered a glimpse of his potential on his final catch against Georgia Southern. Williams caught a pass on the right sideline at the opponent’s 45-yard line just in front of the line of scrimmage, evaded a tackle attempt and burst up the field for an 11-yard gain and a first down — his longest play this season.
Williams said he wants to remain confident in himself and try to stay consistent with his emotions and his play. The rest will work itself out. Teammates say it’s not a matter of if it happens, but when it does for Williams.
“I guarantee that he’s going to be a big-time player at this university and he’s going to help this team win a lot of games,” Dike said. “He’s already making his impact felt and he’s in his second year in college. I think that sometimes people have expectations, and he has expectations for himself that are super high — as they should be because he’s super talented. He shouldn’t lose that because maybe he’s not getting as many snaps as he wants or something like that. You just need to continue to work hard.”
(Top photo: Lawrence Iles / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
