Mids’ Williams thinks he made smart choice
CJ Williams initially learned Navy fielded a football team from his older brother, who was recruited by the service academy.
Greg “LG” Williams Jr. decided to stay home and play football for nearby Texas State, a decision he later regretted after coach Dennis Franchione retired and was replaced by Everett Withers.
CJ Williams learned a lot more about Navy football when he attended a Texas State game in September 2014. LG and CJ were a senior and sophomore, respectively, at Byron P. Steele High when the whole family watched the Midshipmen rout the host Bobcats, 35-21.
“I do remember being impressed that Navy had a very good team,” CJ Williams said. “I was like ‘Wow, these Navy boys are really putting it on Texas State.’ It was kind of surprising.”
Navy assistant Danny O’Rourke returned to Byron P. Steele to recruit CJ Williams and basically received the same response he did from LG (“Little Greg”), who wound up being switched from quarterback to slot receiver at Texas State.
“I went to see CJ in the spring and he didn’t have much interest in the Naval Academy,” O’Rourke recalled.
Williams was focused on Ivy League schools at the time and visited Columbia and Harvard. Although the academics were top-notch, the caliber of football was not.
Williams thought back to what he saw that night in San Marcos and started reconsidering the service academy in Annapolis. The All-State selection did some research and discovered Navy also played Notre Dame annually along with the likes of Houston and SMUas a member of the American Athletic Conference.
Greg Sr., who remembered Navy making contact with LG, did his own research and was impressed by what he discovered.
“I laid out some numbers for CJ about how much the education was worth and what kind of salary he would have after graduation,” the father said. “I think the career opportunities that come with a Naval Academy degree carried a lot of weight with CJ, who is a long-term thinking kind of guy.”
Having been part of a program on the high school level, Williams realized he aspired to a higher level of collegiate competition than the Ivy League.
“CJ wanted to play big-time football and Navy was in that realm while Harvard was not,” Greg Williams Sr. said. “We all felt Navy offered the perfect mix of academics and athletics. It just seemed like a real good Saturday, noon TV: ESPNews Radio: 1090 AM Line: Navy by 6 match.”
However it wound up happening, the Navy coaching staff is certainly happy the underrated two-star recruit chose the academy. After serving on the scout team and playing junior varsity as a plebe, Williams has emerged as a real playmaker this season.
Williams had a breakout performance against Lehigh last Saturday, establishing career-highs with 104 receiving yards and 41 rushing yards. He averaged a whopping 16 yards per touch, having caught three passes and taken six pitchouts. Making the day even better was the fact Greg Williams Sr. and wife April were in attendance at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
“It was great to have a game like that with my parents in the stands,” Williams said. “I don’t want to dwell on what I did too much. I have to put it behind me and move forward.”