USC quarterback Caleb Williams is heavily favored to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Chicago Bears in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
Originally a five-star prospect from Washington, D.C., Williams signed with Oklahoma in 2021.
Despite expectations to secure the starting position over Spencer Rattler, he didn’t start until the final seven games of the season.
Williams expressed his frustration with head coach Lincoln Riley and the quarterback competition during an appearance on the Pivot Podcast.
“I told people before I went there that I was going to start and play and beat him out. I thought I’d beat him out in Spring and he was projected No. 1 and all of that,” Williams said. “He started for six games, and so, I kept preparing.
“Lincoln told me ‘keep going.’ It’s something that I didn’t understand, those two words, I did not understand when he told me, because I wasn’t asking him. I wasn’t coming to him to beg for playing time. I never came to him.”
Riley’s advice to “keep going” left Williams feeling frustrated with the situation in Norman.
“I was so angry, so frustrated, because that wasn’t what I wanted to hear because I felt like I was the best,” Williams continued. “I felt like I could have helped us win all the games, getting more reps, and I didn’t get those reps.
“So I kept preparing as best that I could, so when I had my moment, there was no way that he was ever going to get it back. When I got my shot, yeah, nothing else is going to happen other than me being the guy.”
However, once Williams claimed the starting role, he never looked back, earning Freshman All-American honors for the Sooners.
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His true freshman season concluded with impressive stats: 1,912 passing yards and 21 passing touchdowns.
After the 2021 season, Williams followed coach Lincoln Riley to USC, where he ultimately won the Heisman Trophy in 2022.
