Williams Jr. Adds to IU’s Offensive Fun
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - E.J. Williams Jr. feels it, sees it, believes it, this chance to be part of something special as an Indiana Hoosier that he missed out on last year.
He saw it as a Clemson receiver. He saw it from IU last year -- some in person, some from a distance -- and sees it now as the Hoosiers work to match, if not surpass, last season’s college football playoff success.
“I’ve been a part of a lot of good teams,” Williams says. “I don’t want to sound cocky, but you know by the way teams practice and work in the weight room. You know what it looks like. You know by the execution of plays, the aggressiveness, how fast everybody is flying around to the ball.
“I saw that when I was at Clemson my freshman year being part of that environment. These guys that (Coach Curt Cignetti) brought in turned Indiana into a power in the Big Ten. It’s fun to be part of something like that.”
Williams is once again part of the fun. He played four games last season -- catching two passes for 49 yards -- before wanting to redshirt, preserve an extra year of eligibility, and play in 2025. Cignetti wanted him to keep playing, so both agreed transferring was the best option.
Last December, Cignetti offered Williams a chance to return. Williams jumped at it.
“We wanted him back,” Cignetti says. “He wanted to come back, so that was another win for us.”
Adds Williams: “I didn’t really want to be in the transfer portal in the first place. I happened to be on a visit at one school and Coach Cig reached out to me, we had a good talk, and I decided I was going to come back.”
Time in the transfer portal away from the Hoosier program -- Williams spent much of it with his family talking to other schools and watching Indiana thrive -- gave him time to evaluate what was important and how well IU fit what he wanted to do.
“It was definitely mixed emotions,” he says about his time away. “Of course, I wanted to be part of something special like that at IU, knowing our past and our record and stuff the year before.”
Special found Hoosier receivers Elijah Sarratt, Omar Cooper Jr., Ke’Shawn Williams, Myles Price and Miles Cross thriving in a diverse offense led by quarterback Kurtis Rourke that averaged a Big Ten-best 41.3 points and 261.3 passing yards per game. Five receivers caught at least 27 passes, led by Sarratt’s 53 for 957 yards and eight touchdowns.
“It was a good feeling seeing my guys like Coop, Elijah, Myles Price, Miles Cross and Ke’Shawn make the plays I knew they had made in practice that I was seeing every day.
“I was happy to see them have that success that I know they had put the work in to have.”
Williams seeks to join in that success. At 6-4 and 203 pounds, he has plenty of big-play potential, although injuries have limited that development. As a Clemson freshman, he caught four passes for 80 yards and a touchdown against Notre Dame, and five passes for 45 yards in a College Football Playoff semifinal game against Ohio State.
Williams has 65 catches for 772 yards and two touchdowns in his college career.
“I’ve always liked him personally,” Cignetti says. “I like his work habits. I like his talent. He’s got a burning desire to be good. We’ve just got to keep him on the field. The more we can keep him on the field, he can develop that consistency to be a really good player.”
Williams says he hasn’t let injuries alter his playing approach.
“My mindset never changes. When I’m available, I feel play fast, go 100 percent, be the person I know I can be. I’m always in a good head space with something like that. It’s something I’ve battled my whole career. Try to focus in on having a clear head, be in that attack mindset, be determined. Know what I can do. When the time comes, do what you’re supposed to do.”
Still doubt can surface, and the push to go before you’re ready can overtake good judgment.
“When you’re injured, for me, the big thing is not be in a rush. If I do, I won’t be able to play as free as I want to, stick as hard as I want to, play as fast as I want to,” Williams says. “If I have to stay out a month, a month and a half to make sure I’m good and ready to go, I’ll do that. Once I’m out there, I focus on my job and achieving my goals.”
Focus was a priority this spring as Williams worked to acclimate with new quarterback Fernando Mendoza, a highly touted transfer from the University of California.
“He has a lot of zip on the ball compared to a lot of quarterbacks I’ve been with before,” Williams says. “He’s really mobile. He has a great arm. He has a lot of similarities with other quarterbacks I’ve played with but is a little more mobile.”
Williams is part of a strong group of receivers that also includes Appalachian State transfer Makai Jackson, Cal transfer Jonathan Brady, sophomore Charlie Becker, freshmen Lebron Bond, and Davion Chandler. A hamstring injury sidelined Jackson for much of the spring. Tyler Morris, a transfer from Michigan, suffered a knee surgery that will sideline him for next season.
“We have three veteran receivers that have done it on Saturday at the P4 level: Sarratt, Cooper, and E.J.,” Cignetti says. “They all took turns playing in the slot when Makai tweaked his hamstring before practice four and never returned. Then, when we lost Morris to the non-contact knee, Becker made progress.
“I also thought that the freshman, Bond, made progress, and we've got Chandler coming in. So I'm counting on Jackson coming back, which will help our depth.”
As for what he expects from Williams, Cignetti adds, “E.J. made plays all spring long. With him, it's not having the mental lapse here and there, missed assignment here and there, that kind of thing.
“I'm counting on him having a huge year for us. He's a big target with great body control, excellent ball skills. He's a threat.”
Maximizing that threat, Williams adds, starts by avoiding injury.
“The focal point for me is to stay healthy, stay in the training room and be able to prehab. Then, just hone in on learning concepts and not just one position, learning the defense so you can think clear while you are out there running routes, and just make everything polished at the top of routes and releases.”
And one other big key …
“Hone in on blocking in the run game, too.”
IU plans to continue its offensive success under Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan. Williams is all in.
“We have so many guys who can stretch the field, who can play multiple positions. Even in the slot. Elijah can slide over. Lot of guys can. That ability to stretch the field and create a lot of havoc on the defense. We have so many options and everybody is elite. Elite route runners who can create space and make plays.”