After losing two significant players to the transfer portal in the past few weeks, Chris Collins finally has some help on the way.
Former Fairleigh Dickinson forward Elyjah Williams, who averaged 13.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for the Knights during the 2020-21 season, announced that he is transferring to Northwestern for his final season of eligibility via Instagram on Monday.
“Super excited to announce I’m coming home,” wrote Williams, who is a native of Evanston and graduated from Evanston Township High School in 2017.
While Williams’ 6-foot-7, 220-pound frame enables him to defend competitively in the post and grapple for rebounds, he relied more and more on his shooting beyond the three-point line for offensive production throughout his time at FDU. He converted on 42 percent of his 50 attempts from three last season. His skillset and size make him naturally comparable to Miller Kopp, who is the same height, five pounds lighter, and recently announced his intent to transfer from NU.
Williams became a regular starter at FDU at the latter end of his sophomore season at the Northeastern Conference institution. That year, the Knights made their lone trip to the NCAA Tournament during Williams’ college career, beating Prairie View A&M in the First Four before falling to one-seed Gonzaga. Despite the loss, Williams nearly posted a double-double against the Bulldogs, recording 10 points and nine rebounds while pitted against Rui Hachimura — then a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year Award — who put up 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds.