College football insider explains how Caleb Williams can turn trajectory of USC program

Tuesday, Oklahoma transfer Caleb Williams announced his long-awaited transfer to USC. It’s a huge get for Lincoln Riley, and one college football insider explained just how big it is for the Trojans — and the Pac-12.

ESPN reporter Pete Thamel, who broke the story of Williams’ commitment, appeared on SportsCenter to share what it means in the big picture. He talked about the importance of landing such a highly touted transfer, but also how it could change the college football landscape.

“I think it changes a lot,” Thamel told Matt Barrie. “We could really look at this as an axis shift in college football with some power being shifted back out West finally. I think this is a building block. It’s a coups for Lincoln Riley, Matt. He’s the 13th portal transfer. That means USC could have half its starters come from the transfer portal.

“And I think the legacy of this Caleb Williams decision will be that it’s the first collision of one-time transfer and then the first collision of NIL. Now, Caleb was very clear that NIL was not a driver in his decision, but ending up in Los Angeles is not going to hurt his NIL prospects. And he did say he’s going to be able to cash in for his teammates, which was a big driver, too.”

Williams was the No. 1 transfer in the portal, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings. The former top prospect also comes in at No. 7 in the On3 CFB NIL Rankings with an NIL Valuation of $442,000. With the NIL opportunities that could come with his move out West, that number could change.

Five-star quarterback Caleb Williams transfers to USC

Former five-star quarterback Caleb Williams will transfer to USC, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The move comes nearly two months after he initially announced Jan. 3 that he was entering the transfer portal. Williams is expected to begin classes on Tuesday.

This move comes shortly after former Trojans quarterback Jaxson Dart announced he was transferring to Ole Miss. Former Oklahoma wide receiver Mario Williams had been vocal about his intention to go wherever his quarterback lands; he paid a visit to Los Angeles and eventually committed to play at USC.

Caleb Williams began his true freshman season at Oklahoma as the backup quarterback to Spencer Rattler. When Rattler struggled to start the season, however, Williams took the reigns of the offense.

After a couple of appearances in mop up duty, Williams saw his first significant playing time in the Red River Rivalry against Texas. He led the Sooners back from 21 points down — the largest comeback in the rivalry’s history — to claim a 55-48 victory. That was just the beginning of what would be an impressive season.