Former Notre Dame target inadvertently shows Fighting Irish recruiting growth while landing with elite SEC program

On Tuesday, Williams committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide. He chose Alabama over finalists Penn State, Florida, and Notre Dame. In reality, the Fighting Irish never truly pushed hard for the Florida standout. 

From a height-weight-speed perspective, Williams is an intriguing development wide receiver for the long term. Add in the fact that he played previously at Lake Mary (Fla.) High School with 2026 Notre Dame quarterback commit Noah Grubbs, and there was some natural attraction between both sides. 

The fact that Notre Dame recruited Williams but never pushed is a testament to their uptick in wide receiver recruiting over the last several weeks. They chose not to push for a wide receiver that Alabama prioritized. That inadvertently complimented the growth of recruiting at the position this offseason of late. 

Williams is currently rated as a three-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247Sports Composite ranking, he is currently rated as the No. 799 overall player and No. 118 wide receiver for the 2026 recruiting class. Williams is also pegged as the No. 104 player in the state of Florida. Clearly the rankings do leave a bit to be desired. 

Despite those lower rankings, that hasn’t stopped a long list of impressive programs from pursuing Williams. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, Crimson Tide, Georgia, Michigan, Florida, Penn State, Florida State, Auburn, NC State, Kentucky, Arkansas, Duke, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, UCF, Vanderbilt, and Purdue among others. 

At Lake Mary in 2024, Williams was a part of a potent passing attack. The 6-4, 185-pound pass catcher managed to haul in 23 receptions for 359 yards and five touchdowns. That is a 15.6 yard per catch average for Williams, showcasing his ability to win down the field.