Senior writer for @TheAthletic, covering college football and basketball. Proud @ohiou alum. | Email: jwilliams@theathletic.com
Cincinnati, OH
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This is very cool and unexpected. Thank you to @TheFWAA, and I'm honored to share the award with @walexander.
Appreciate @TheAthletic and the whole colleges team there giving me the opportunity to write these stories.
.@Whalexander of @On3 (right) and @Williams_Justin of @TheAthletic (left) have been named the FWAA's Steve Ellis Co-Beat Writers of the Year for the 2025 season. Their stories will be highlighted at @TheFWAA for four straight days.
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Hiring is an act of projection, trying to decide if one can succeed at a job they may have never done. And college football makes that problem unusually visible.
On Oregon, hiring coordinators and what great hiring reveals about great leadership (free):
nytimes.com/athletic/7629099…
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✍️ It turns out Presidential attendance has impacted the comms of several CFB games.
LSU had a plan in case it happened in the 2019 national title game.
@davidubben and I spoke to coaches and a former secret service agent about why this happens:
nytimes.com/athletic/7630465…
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Clemson football has problems. Does Dabo Swinney want to be part of the solution?
nytimes.com/athletic/7626938…
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“They’ve got everything. They look the part. They’re fast. They can bend. But they just don’t have an edge to ’em. They’re soft everywhere.”
Is Texas bound to disappoint again? Plus, why Oregon-USC is the most intriguing game of the season so far: nytimes.com/athletic/7627257…
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James Madison, Miami (Ohio) and UConn (football) have had conversations with the American Conference, sources confirm, but so have others and nothing is imminent.
Some of this isn’t new, UConn’s AD tells me they’ve talked since 2024. More in here: nytimes.com/athletic/7629592…
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I wrote about my friend, Chris Spatola: nicoleauerbach.substack.com/…
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Can Caitlin Clark just play basketball?
Over 15 days in five cities, and one phone call about her garden, I tried to find out.
Free to read @TheAthletic:
nytimes.com/athletic/7626435…
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Good story from @Williams_Justin on the hottest trend in college sports investigations: No paper trail.
If a program spending millions to investigate resulting in only an oral report sounds fishy to you, you're not alone. nytimes.com/athletic/7623865…
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Bob Castellini asked Reds leadership “why aren’t we the Brewers?” The answer was in the mirror. Link to the full article with @Ken_Rosenthal is free to read: nytimes.com/athletic/7622943…
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Looking like a Monday vote for PCSA, which sounds pretty good to me because we began the week planning to have a split screen of Clemson-Cal and C-Span Friday night.
Thune says the Senate will “probably” be in session next week. No deal to speed up the college sports bill at this time
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The hottest trend in college sports investigations? No paper trail.
I wrote about how these high-profile external investigations at schools like Michigan and North Carolina are completed with no formal, written report.
Free to read via @TheAthletic.
nytimes.com/athletic/7623865…
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This story is a credit to @D_Bo20 and the Robinson Family. They want to tell you about Eli. They're hoping it helps others.
It's worth remembering: “Maybe we can all be a little less certain about knowing what someone is going through."
nytimes.com/athletic/7617243…
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Orlando "Zeus" Brown passed away 15 years ago today.
His memory, his words and a Rolls-Royce Phantom are still driving Orlando Jr., and the two big men will unite on the field Sunday in Pittsburgh.
(Link in comments)
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When Nebraska was 10-0, @JonRothstein promised to throw a Happy Hour for their fans if they won their first tournament game.
10 months later, Jon paid his dues... @HuskerMBB
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find a reaction
Joey McGuire said Texas Tech is “trying to find ourselves” amid a 3-0 start.
The Red Raiders don’t have to be as good as last year to contend for the Big 12 again. But Tech has bigger ambitions than contending.
It wants the Big 12 to run through Lubbock.
nytimes.com/athletic/7609942…
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Texas Tech pulled off a dramatic win over Houston under the Friday Night Lights.
This Tech team is not last year’s, and might be feeling the weight of those expectations. But the Big 12 still runs through Lubbock. For now.
My column from West Texas.
nytimes.com/athletic/7609942…
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Thomas Castellanos starts over Will Hammond at quarterback for Texas Tech against Houston, and Castellanos promptly throws a pop-fly interception on Tech's first offensive snap of the game.
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Will James stays in bounds to grab the interception!
@UHCougarFB
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