Caleb Williams responds to question on NFL Draft, if he'd consider returning to school

Caleb Williams isn’t interested in discussing the NFL. After USC’s 42-28 win over Arizona State on Saturday, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner dodged a question about his postseason plans.

“I got eight games left,” Williams said. “Those are the eight guaranteed that I have and then we’re working on the next three. We got a tough opponent in, first, Colorado this week coming up.”

While Williams’ eyes aren’t focused on the NFL, professionals certainly have their eyes on him. The 6-foot-1 QB gave them a show on Saturday. Williams exploded for a season-high 322 passing yards and three touchdowns while throwing zero interceptions against the Sun Devils.

His lack of mistakes is no surprise. Williams boasts 15 touchdowns through the air this season without a single interception. Williams’ 292.7 passing yards per game are the 16th most in the country. Further, Williams 12 passing touchdowns rank No. 2 nationally, trailing only Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman.

The return of Caleb Williams?

With Williams boasting such impressive numbers in his junior season, fans around the nation expected 2023 to be his final collegiate season. Nonetheless, due to previous comments by Williams’ father, USC fans began to gain hope of a 2024 campaign led by Williams.

“The funky thing about the NFL draft process is, he’d almost be better off not being drafted than being drafted first. The system is completely backwards,” Carl Willaims told GQ. “The way the system is constructed, you go to the worst possible situation.

“He’s got two shots at the apple,” Carl Williams said. “So if there’s not a good situation, the truth is, he can come back to school.”

Focused on the here and now

As of now, Williams is expected to be the No. 1 pick. ESPN’s Mel Kiper listed the generational prospect atop his most recent Top 25 Big Board. Despite the hype, Williams is simply focused on improving.

“Coach was saying I need to work on everything,” Williams said after the win. “I was pretty efficient last year, but this year, when you have those moments and you have those big plays that come up, you want to be able to execute and capitalize in those moments.

“It just comes with consistency,” Williams said. “Whether it was us doing our assignment, whether it was penalties and holdings or jumping offsides or not catching the ball; whatever the case may be, all leads to the leaders and us being consistent throughout the week.”

As long as Williams is a Trojan, he’ll look to be a leader. On Saturday, USC will square off against Colorado at 9 a.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on FOX.