Before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Arizona, Iowa State All-Big 12 cornerback Jontez Williams looked like he was destined to be a part of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Instead, the talented cover man opted to head back to school and see what options are out there via the transfer portal. There are several programs right now that have already expressed a ton of interest despite the injury. That includes head coach Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame program.

Notre Dame showing interest in CB Jontez Williams

With starting nickel DeVonta Smith heading to the NFL, there is a big need for a veteran presence in the slot. The Fighting Irish are very high on rising sophomore Dallas Golden, but this is a team that has shown that they greatly appreciate the experience. They are also valuing the short-term payback more and more recently.

Williams brings a lot of that, mostly at outside cornerback, but his body type and play style fit perfectly inside at nickel. His tenacity and fluidity in coverage would be a welcome addition to a talented secondary.

The former Cyclone star clearly has some interest in Notre Dame as well. The 5-11, 200-pound cover man is set to visit Notre Dame on Jan. 5-7. The early feedback is that the Irish are in strong standing, but they do need to fend off several other prominent programs. That includes Penn State, where his former head coach, Matt Campbell, left for this offseason.

With Leonard Moore and Christian Gray returning at cornerback, while safeties Adon Shuler, Tae Johnson, and Luke Talich all expected back in 2026, this has the look of another elite secondary. Williams would be the finishing touch to it if they were able to close on him during the visit.

Jontez Williams career background

The redshirt junior ended his Iowa State career playing in 32 career games. During that stretch, Williams managed to collect 67 total tackles, five interceptions, 15 pass breakups, and 3.5 tackles for loss. He was named a Second Team All-Big 12 performer back during the 2024 season.

The Florida native was originally a member of the 2022 recruiting class for the Cyclones. Williams was considered to be a three-star player while coming out of Starke (Fla.) Bradford. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, he ended up rated as the No. 1,535 overall player, the No. 115 athlete, and the No. 203 player from the state of Florida for the 2022 class.

Iowa State was the only FBS offer for Williams when he was coming out. The only other reported offer came from FCS Tennessee Tech. Needless to say, Williams has become one of the bigger success stories under Campbell, a coach known for great development over the years.