Caleb Williams May Be Willing To Stay At USC For His Senior Season, If He Doesn't Like Team With Top Pick
2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams is well on his way to challenging for the 2023 award too.
The 21-year-old's started this season similarly to how he finished 2022; extreme efficiency, an incredible ability to extend plays, and remarkable turnover avoidance. His combination of improvisation, arm strength and accuracy has made him the presumptive #1 overall pick in next year's NFL draft.
Except a new report says he may not even be certain he wants to leave USC after this season after all.
Williams' father, Carl Williams, told GQ that his son intends to wait it out, specifically because of the negatives that come with being drafted first overall.
"The funky thing about the NFL draft process is, he'd almost be better off not being drafted than being drafted first," Carl Williams said. "The system is completely backwards. The way the system is constructed, you go to the worst possible situation. The worst possible team, the worst organization in the league -- because of their desire for parity -- gets the first pick. So it's the gift and the curse."
He continued, describing how he's spoken to a number of individuals who warned about how bad organizations can derail promising young careers.
"I've talked to Archie Manning -- his career was shot because he went to a horrible organization," Williams said. "I've talked to Lincoln , and Kyler struggled because of where he was drafted. Baker struggled mightily because of where he was drafted. The organizations matter."
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 26: Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans walks off the field after the 56-28 win against the San Jose State Spartans at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Caleb Williams Cautious About NFL Future
It's long been seen as a foregone conclusion that Williams would head to the NFL after his third season.
While USC's 2023 fate has yet to be decided, he already doesn't have much left to prove at the collegiate level. And Williams himself has spoken about how he's always viewed himself as going three-and-out.
Yet his father's comments reflect a real concern about his ability to develop in the NFL, depending on where he's picked. And justifiably so.
Every individual and coaching situation is different, but there's an endless list of highly successful college quarterbacks stalling in bad situations in the NFL. That said, it's debatable whether top quarterbacks like say, Josh Allen, make their organizations better, or if they benefit from quality coaching.
Complicating matters is the fact that Williams is raking in money from NIL deals at USC, making it less necessary for him to leave for an NFL payday.
Even so, it's no guarantee that the top pick in the draft after his senior season would be any better.
Regardless, USC fans will be thrilled to hear that Williams' departure isn't a foregone conclusion. Every year he's in Los Angeles, the Trojans will compete for a playoff berth. And with an absolutely brutal schedule for the first Big Ten season, having the Heisman Trophy winner in town would be hugely beneficial.