Cornerback Jontez Williams was still recovering from a season-ending knee injury he suffered last September when he arrived at USC at the beginning of the year.
During the rehab process, Williams was joined in the training room by fellow cornerback, Chasen Johnson, who also sustained a significant knee injury that ended his season last September.
Iowa State's defensive back Jontez Williams talks to media at the school football facility on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
It's two injuries that had a long road to recovery. The process can get mundane and frustrating at times but the two of them kept each other going.
"He always kept his head up. We was able to feed off each other and push each other while we was rehabbing and getting back," Williams said. "And then once we were back out there, we was just working hard each and every day. The way we meshed and how we just pushed each other in the weight room and on the field drills and different things like that."
Johnson naturally has an upbeat and positive attitude, but he admitted there were some rough patches before finally hitting stride.
"I'm not gonna sit here and act like it's perfect. It's definitely ups and downs to it," Johnson said at USC Media Day. "Some days you feel like you're down, some days you feel like you're doing good, but I feel like I climbed that hill somewhere around the middle of my recovery, and I got around that corner. Ever since that, I've been going up."
Both are fully healthy in fall camp and are trending towards being the Trojans two starting cornerbacks this season.
Iowa State Cyclones' defensive back Jontez Williams (3) runs with the ball after an interception against Arkansas during the second quarter in the Big-12 conference showdown on Sept. 27, 2025, at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Recovering from knee injuries can have different timelines depending on the position a player plays. With cornerback, it's all about reaching top speed, getting in and out of breaks and cutting.
And for an athlete to get back to what they were before the injury, they have to get to the point where the knee is not even something that crosses their mind on the field.
"I'm pretty much at that point now," Williams said. "I didn't no regrets, no doubts when I'm out there playing. I'm just playing freely and getting that feeling back."
From watching Williams go through drills and compete on the field, he has returned to the form that made him an All-Conference player in 2024 and the No. 1 cornerback in the portal this past cycle.
Iowa State Cyclones defensive back Jontez Williams intercepts a pass against Baylor during the third quarter at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Expectations are high for Williams in his first, and only season with the Trojans. He's earned Preseason All-American honors and has NFL aspirations beyondthis season.
Through it all, Williams has been able to lean on his father, Andrew Williams, who played defensive end at Miami in the early 2000s, before he was selected in the third round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2003. The two of them talk every day.
"Sometimes it just be random talk, just checking in on me, seeing how I'm doing and stuff like that. It's never about just football," Williams said.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook , and X for the latest news.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/usc as USC Cornerbacks Jontez Williams and Chasen Johnson Offer Insights Into Rehab Process .
