Brenden Rice compares relationship with Caleb Williams to Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Burrow

Brenden Rice has big plans for himself and Caleb Williams within the USC Trojans offense in 2023.

In their first year playing together last season, Williams connected with Rice, the son of NFL legend Jerry Rice, 39 times for 611 yards and four touchdowns. Moving forward, Rice believes he and Williams could do much more damage to opposing defenses, comparing their potential to former LSU Tigers stars Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow.

“Just trying to battle through adversity. Make sure I don’t get too high, not too low. Stay constant,” explained Rice. “I honestly believe me and Caleb finally got on the right page. It finally stuck. Our chemistry just got better. We started hanging out more. We started talking to each other, what we wanted from each other. We’re trying to get that Ja’Marr Chase-Joe Burrow type of chemistry.

“It’s going to be exciting to see. … I’m loving it. I’m loving what I’ve seen. We can definitely rise, but it’s only the beginning.”

That’s a lofty goal for Rice and Williams. While becoming arguably the best duo in college football history may be slightly far fetched, we’re not going to bet against them improving and dominating within the Pac-12.

Rice’s potential is through the roof, especially with Williams as his quarterback. 2023 should be another fantastic season.

Brenden Rice predicts USC will win 2023 Pac-12 Championship

Furthermore, the USC Trojans didn’t have the ending to their season that they had hoped for. However, wide receiver Brenden Rice believes his Trojans will have no problem improving in the results from last year.

So much so, that Rice called the Trojans shot with a bold prediction for their 2023 campaign while speaking with the media.

“The energy level; it’s a lot more competition. Like last year, I would have to definitely say that we didn’t know the plays,” said Rice. “We were trying to impress the coaches. But now, we’re trying to dial in and lock in on what we already perfected to make it even more indestructible.

“Now, we’re trying to create that bond to make sure we go all the way. We were so close last year; (we) lost in the championship. We’re gonna go all the way, push through, (and) hold that gold ball up.”

Alas, USC finishing next season as Pac-12 champ is not farfetched in the slightest. The Trojans looked to be in complete control of their championship showdown against the Utah Utes last season. That was until eventual Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams was hobbled with a leg injury.

Without Williams’ ability to extend and create plays with his legs or even step into his throws, the Trojans’ defense fell stagnant. USC would fall to Utah 47-24 and have their season completely derailed. The Trojans lost the Pac-12 crown and were knocked out of the College Football Playoff all in one swoop, but it’s obviously serving as motivation for their team in 2023.