How a former Clemson WR took the long road to the national championship game
E.J. Williams Jr. plays the final game of his long, winding college career Monday night. The former Clemson wide receiver could go out as a national champion.
Tigers fans may remember Williams for the twisting, one-handed grab he made during Clemson’s 2020 ACC football championship game win vs. Notre Dame.
A former top 100 recruit from Alabama, Williams caught passes from quarterback Trevor Lawrence that season and was Clemson’s fifth leading receiver. After big games against Notre Dame and Ohio State, his arrow was pointing up.
Six years later, he’s finally living up to that potential with No. 1 Indiana.
Williams, 24, has emerged as a key playmaker for a Hoosiers team that’s blown out opponents at a historic rate and would become college football’s first 16-0 team if it beats No. 10 Miami in Monday night’s CFP national championship game.
The former Clemson wide receiver has 36 catches for 438 yards and six touchdowns for Indiana this season – all career highs. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza found Williams for a touchdown in last week’s CFP Peach Bowl semifinal win against Oregon and has raved about the receiver’s talents.
Speaking to reporters earlier this month, Williams said he’d been unsure about his college football path at times. But he said IU’s historic season feels like confirmation that everything has happened for a reason.
“The story’s not over,” Williams said, per On3 Sports. “It’s just a great experience, and I’m blessed to be here.”
A six-year journey, with ACC and Big Ten stops
The fact Williams is still playing is a unique story – and one he’s had fun with.
Once the nation’s No. 69 overall recruit coming out of high school, Williams could never replicate his freshman year success with the Tigers. After catching 24 passes for 306 yards at Clemson in 2020, he caught 16 passes for 136 yards in the next two seasons combined and averaged just 5.4 yards per game in 2022.
Williams also dealt with nagging injuries and lost playing time to Clemson receivers including Beaux Collins, Antonio Williams and Adam Randall. He hit the transfer portal after the 2022 season and committed to Indiana.
In Bloomington, though, the same roadblocks emerged. Williams had modest production in 2023 under then-coach Tom Allen – 281 receiving yards in eight games – but was lost in the shuffle once new coach Curt Cignetti arrived in 2024 (and brought a fresh group of talented transfer receivers with him).
Williams caught two passes in four games before stepping away from Indiana in what would’ve been his last season. By only appearing in four games, though, he preserved a redshirt and an opportunity to play a sixth season. (Williams previously utilized his “COVID year” from Clemson’s 2020 season to play a fifth year.)
After formally entering the transfer portal and visiting other schools, he ended up … back at Indiana. Williams credited Cignetti (whose 2024 team finished 11-2 and reached the CFP) for maintaining an open line of communication.
Williams withdrew from the portal and returned to the team in late 2024.
“They welcomed me back with open arms, like I never really left,” he told On3.
Former Clemson WR’s final year could end with title
That unpredictable five-year run set the stage for Williams’ sixth and final season in 2025. In September, he caught his first touchdown pass since the 2020 ACC championship game (1,721 days) vs. Kennesaw State. In October, Williams recorded his first career 100-yard game and multi-touchdown game vs. UCLA.
Williams’ postseason production has been minimal – but he did hit paydirt in the CFP Peach Bowl semifinal, catching a 13-yard touchdown pass from Mendoza in the third quarter of a 56-22 blowout win vs. Oregon.
And, yes, he’s aware of the social media jokes floating around out that poke fun at the fact Williams is still in college despite catching his first pass from Lawrence, who just finished his fifth NFL season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Meanwhile, Williams is set to play in his 60th and final college football game Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium. He has no regrets, though.
“I didn’t know it was a crime to use the redshirt and Covid year,” Williams wrote on X on Jan. 10, attaching a laughing face emoji.
2026 CFP national championship game
- Who: No. 1 Indiana (15-0) vs. No. 10 Miami (13-2)
- When: 7:30 p.m. Monday
- Where: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
- TV: ESPN
- Betting line: Indiana by 8.5 points
This story was originally published January 19, 2026 at 7:00 AM with the headline "How a former Clemson WR took the long road to the national championship game."
