Indiana football had just improved to 7-0, introducing its arrival to the college football world with a blowout victory over Nebraska.
But just two days later, then-redshirt senior receiver E.J. Williams Jr. left the program.
That was late October 2024.
He missed a home win versus Washington with ESPN’s “College GameDay” in attendance. Then, a slugfest victory over Michigan to notch 10 wins for the first time in program history. And a top-five matchup on the road against Ohio State before a College Football Playoff contest against the University of Notre Dame.
Now, just over a year later, the sixth-year senior receiver is back inside Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, setting personal records. Williams caught five passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns in Indiana’s 56-6 triumph over UCLA on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
Williams said postgame the 2025 season has been a fun ride thus far.
“It's always fun to win,” he said.
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Williams caught just two passes for 49 yards receiving last season as he played in just four of the first seven games in 2024.
After the Hoosiers defeated the Cornhuskers on Oct. 19, 2024, Williams opted to get surgery as he suffered an undisclosed ailment. In a statement on X, he said he chose to undergo the procedure so he could be “100% healthy” and to “have a better opportunity to compete at playing time.”
Williams decided to redshirt and said he was set on contributing to a “great” Indiana team in his sixth collegiate season.
However, then-first year Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti told Williams he’s the person who decides who redshirts. Cignetti thought Williams could help the Hoosiers during their historic 2024 season, but the latter said otherwise. Williams thought the team was “perfectly fine” without him in the game.
With Cignetti's rule that a player who opted to redshirt after four games can no longer be a part of the team, Williams entered the transfer portal. The 6-foot-3 receiver said there weren’t any hard feelings or bad blood between him and the program.
Williams, from Phenix City, Alabama, returned home to spend time with his family. He talked with other schools while he sat team-less. And yet, he continued to watch Indiana — just not on the sideline.
“It was definitely a mixed emotions feeling because, of course, obviously, I wanted to be a part of something special like that here at IU,” Williams said April 8.
Williams was visiting another school in December when Cignetti reached out to the receiver. The two had what Williams described as a “good talk” and decided he’d return to Bloomington for the 2025 season.
“We wanted him back; he wanted to come back,” Cignetti said Feb. 5. “So, that was another win for us as well.”
And one of the main reasons he sought a return? Cignetti’s coaching style.
“Really assertive,” Williams said postgame Saturday. “Really in your face. ‘I want this, and if you can't do it, you're getting out of here.’ I wanted a guy that's going to be the best and that can get the job done.”
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Williams first arrived at Indiana ahead of the 2023 season — former head coach Tom Allen’s last at the helm of the Hoosiers. The receiver opted to stay and play under Cignetti.
And ever since Cignetti took over, he’s always liked Williams, who’s battled numerous injuries throughout his collegiate career.
“I like his work habits, and I like his talent,” Cignetti said April 1. “He has a burning desire to be good, and we just have to keep him on the field. The more we keep him on the field, he can kind of develop that consistency then that we need for him to be a really good football player.”
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Williams notched five receptions for 45 yards receiving In Indiana’s season-opening victory over Old Dominion University on Aug. 30. Then, against Kennesaw State University on Sept. 6 — when senior receiver Elijah Sarratt deemed a healthy Williams “one of the best receivers in the nation” — he hauled in three passes for 27 yards and a touchdown in the win.
The score was Williams’ first since he caught a touchdown during his freshman season from now-Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in December 2020. Now he’s in his sixth year, while Lawrence is a five-year NFL veteran.
Over the Hoosiers’ next three games, Williams made six catches for 81 yards and another touchdown. After going catch-less against Oregon on Oct. 11, he recorded five receptions for 59 yards and a score against Michigan State on Oct. 18.
But Saturday against UCLA, Williams registered the most prolific game of his six-year career. His five-catch, 109-yard and two-touchdown performance earned him Cignetti's praise once more.
“It's great to get big plays from E.J.,” Cignetti said. “He's got a lot of talent. I've always been really high on him.”
But Cignetti wasn’t thrilled with Williams’ celebration as he crossed the goal line for a 62-yard touchdown with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter. Williams turned his head around and stared down UCLA redshirt senior defensive back Key Lawrence.
“He has to make sure when he's running in the end zone for a touchdown that he doesn't taunt the defender,” Cignetti said. “He got a mulligan on that one from the official.”
Still, Williams notched his first career game with at least 100 yards receiving. He also eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark — something he didn’t even realize until he stood inside the weight room for his postgame availability.
He became the third Hoosier receiver to notch a 100-yard game and the third to score at least two touchdowns this season, joining senior Elijah Sarratt and redshirt junior Omar Cooper Jr., who have established themselves as top receivers in the Big Ten and even the country.
So, the Bruins opted to try to slow down the duo Saturday with double teams. They largely did, holding Sarratt to two receptions for six yards and Cooper to two catches for two yards.
Williams credits his success to his offseason work, studying film and forging a connection with redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza. And Williams facing single coverage put a smile on Mendoza’s face. UCLA felt Williams and Mendoza’s connection Saturday.
“Whoever lines up across me, I'm going to try to win my matchup every time,” Williams said. “So, if you feel like you can handle me one-on-one, that's what you think of me. So, we'll see what happens.”
Indiana now has eight wins this season and appears headed toward a matchup with Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. The Hoosiers also seem destined for a second consecutive playoff appearance.
Except this time, a year after Indiana’s record-breaking season, Williams is a key contributor on arguably the nation’s top team.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
