Rivals Analyst Breaks Down New Notre Dame Wide Receiver Commitments
Notre Dame’s wide receiver class is ascending with new commitments from four-star West Coast products CJ Williams and Tobias Merriweather. Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney has seen both in person and provides his analysis on what the Fighting Irish are getting in both.
Watch in the video below or read the transcript of Gorney’s thoughts.
Adam Gorney On Notre Dame landing CJ Williams …
“It’s absolutely a big win for the Irish. They come back in to Southern California and get one of the best players from a school that has generally sent players to USC. That's super important.
“He’s a very talented kid; he was looking for more than just football — culture, academics — he found them at Notre Dame. He’s a tremendous asset for their recruiting class.”
On Williams as a player …
“He’s an outside receiver. He definitely can catch the ball with cornerbacks hanging all over him. He’s not a guy who’s going to be a burner, but that’s perfectly fine because in a crowd, he can make catches. He’s an excellent route runner, very well-coached, has phenomenal hands and can line up in the slot and go.
“He’s a great teammate and will go into Notre Dame and compete early for playing time. He’s a very competitive kid and very nice off the field. He will be able to get open, catch everything thrown his way, won’t get jammed at the line because he’s muscled up and physically impressive. I think in Notre Dame’s system, it’s a really nice fit for them.”
On Tobias Merriweather …
“They’re a little bit different. Merriweather is longer, leaner and more of a jump-ball threat. He’s very, very talented. He’s a long strider who gets open. ... He can catch passes that are overthrown but goes up and brings them down. He’s very, very special.
“He’s another kid who fits [Notre Dame] not only football-wise but culturally. He wanted something academic-focused and got it at Notre Dame. They’re two very big additions from the West Coast, and it’s a credit to the staff for what they did.”
On how Notre Dame is perceived in Gorney’s job …
“They’re basically doing the same thing Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State is doing — they’re picking and choosing the right guys for them. They’re beating Stanford for a lot of these guys. Kids go out to Notre Dame and see something very special and something they can’t experience on the West Coast. And they’re drawn to that.
“The history, tradition, Touchdown Jesus and academics and then taking a team to the College Football Playoff. Those things fit Merriweather and Williams and other guys they’ve come out and gotten in years past.”
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