Big Ten Roundup (July 29): Jeremiah Williams Transferring to Rutgers

Steve Pikiell and the Rutgers men's basketball team picked up Jeremiah Williams from the transfer portal on Thursday. The 6-foot-5 guard previously played at both Temple and Iowa State.

Steve Pikiell and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are finally finding some pieces to replace all the talent they lost from 2022-23. 

Jeremiah Williams announced on Thursday that he is transferring to Rutgers, marking the second time he's transferred in his collegiate basketball career. Williams played at the Temple for two seasons from 2020-22 before transferring to Iowa State.

Williams never played for the Cyclones, though, as he tore his achilles in October of 2022 and missed the entirety of the 2022-23 season.

Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup: 

What Rutgers is Getting in Jeremiah Williams

The jumbo-sized guard is not the most accurate shooter in the world. During his two seasons at Temple, he shot 26.7% from three, 41.4% on two-pointers and 63.7% on free throws.

But what Williams lacks in marksmanship, he makes up for in his all-around game. In his last season of play in 2021-22, he finished with an impressive 31.1 assists per 100 possessions, the 56th best mark among all qualifying players in the country according to BartTorvik. 

Jeremiah Williams (#25) is a 6'5 point guard transferring from Iowa State to Illinois. He is coming off an Achilles injury, so he last played at Temple. He averaged 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 31.2 minutes a game at Temple pic.twitter.com/lkiHWFeQ2m

— Joe Jackson (@joejacksonCBB) June 11, 2023

(Yes, Jackson later followed up on that tweet saying he meant to say "from Iowa State to Rutgers" and not "from Iowa State to Illinois")

Pikiell's team lost five players to the transfer portal this offseason. Paul Mulcahy left for Washington. Cam Spencer left for UConn. Even end of the bench players Oskar Palmquist, Dean Reiber and Jalen Miller left for Elon, Charlotte and Oral Roberts, respectively. 

Williams now joins UMass transfer Noah Fernandes and JUCO transfer Emmanuel Ogbole as additions to this heavily depleted Rutgers team. However, with this being Williams' second transfer in his collegiate career, there's a chance that he might not be granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA. Combine that with his coming off an achilles tear, and there's good reason to believe Williams doesn't take the court in Piscataway till 2024-25. 

Whenever Williams does begin his tenure at Rutgers, he'll have two seasons of college eligibility remaining. 

The Scarlet Knights have a lot to replace entering the 2023-24 season, as forwards Clifford Omoruyi and Mawot Mag are essentially the only impactful returners on the roster. The commitment of Williams likely won't solve that immediate dilemma in 2023-24, but could prove vital in how Pikiell rebuilds his team in the future. 

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