Caleb Williams, USC gaining confidence as star quarterback settles in

In an offseason that was as busy as ever in the transfer portal, Caleb Williams was one of the most prized gets. Now at USC, he’s settling in and getting comfortable in Lincoln Riley‘s offense, a scary proposition for the rest of college football.

Riley has been a quarterback whisperer of sorts as a head coach, having mentored Heisman Trophy winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, as well as NFL starter Jalen Hurts.

Next in line? Quite possibly Williams.

USC is certainly hoping he can continue in the path of those other Riley proteges, anyway, particularly after last week’s encouraging start in a 66-14 win over Rice.

Williams’ work was relatively limited — the defense scoring on three interceptions returned for touchdowns, including a 93-yard Calen Bullock pick-six was part of that — but he still managed to impress.

“Man, he’s a special kid and he can do it all,” running back Travis Dye said. “He can literally do it all. He can pass, he can paint your back porch, he can walk your dog and he can run the ball. He’s a great player.”

Williams finished the day 19-of-22 passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t throw an interception, was sacked only once and he also added six carries for 68 yards on the ground.

Confidence growing in Caleb Williams, USC teammates say

Suffice it to say, his teammates, many of them also new via the transfer portal, were impressed with the debut on Saturday.

“It gives a gang of confidence to the offense when you see that your leader and the one who’s supposed to take control of the whole offense is back there, just comfortable, throwing darts out there like it’s nothing,” said Dye, who transferred in from Oregon this offseason. “It makes you want to do better, makes you want to be better, makes you want to be more perfect. Without that your team can kind of crumble a little bit, so we’re very grateful that Caleb is that type of quarterback.”

Williams was a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year award last year, as well as the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback and the FWAA’s Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year awards.

He threw for 1,912 yards and 21 touchdowns on 136-of-211 passing (with just four interceptions), while also running for another 442 yards and six scores.

Now, with more experience in Riley’s system, he’s ready to make good on his teammates’ confidence. Next up: a road trip to Stanford for a primetime game on ABC.

If the opener was any indication, Caleb Williams, USC and Riley’s ability to unlock talent at the quarterback position should have the Cardinal and the rest of the league on notice.