Former Iowa State cornerback Jontez Williams committed to transfer to Southern Cal out of the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3 has learned. A redshirt junior this past season in Ames, Williams will have one more season of collegiate eligibility at USC.
The 5-foot-11 and 200-pound Williams is a four-star transfer prospect and the top-ranked cornerback in the 2026 transfer class, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings. Williams committed to USC after visiting campus this weekend and ahead of scheduled visits to Notre Dame beginning Monday and Florida on Thursday.
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Williams, who earned second-team All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore in 2024, is recovering from a season-ending knee injury suffered late in Week 5’s 39-14 win over Arizona. He finished the 2025 season with 15 total tackles, 1.5 for loss, three pass breakups and an interception.
“The one tough deal, we lost Tez,” former Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, now at Penn State, said the following week, according to Cyclone Report. “Tez is going to be out for the year. So that’s a situation that really stinks for the kid. But man, just how he’s handled it has been uber impressive and a great human. He’ll be back ready to rock and roll next year.”
Now he’ll rock and roll in Los Angeles for the Trojans.
Williams started 17 games over the past two seasons at Iowa State, where he led the Cyclones and was tied for third in the Big 12 with four interceptions in 2024, all coming in consecutive games that season. He finished the 2024 season with 46 total tackles, two for loss, and five pass breakups while making 12 starts in 14 games.
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Williams signed with Iowa State as a three-star prospect out of Bradford (Starke, Fla.) High in the 2022 recruiting cycle, where he was ranked as the No. 190 player out of Florida, No. 203 receiver in the class and the No. 1,471 player overall, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
