Lincoln Riley explains why Caleb Williams is placing emphasis on pocket presence

During spring practice, USC quarterback Caleb Williams is placing more emphasis on his pocket presence. Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley explained why that is during a media session this week.

In addition to his strong arm, Williams can use his legs effectively. As a freshman at Oklahoma last year, he rushed for 79 carries for 442 yards and six touchdowns to go with 1,912 passing yards and 21 touchdowns in the air. But teams could opt to keep him in the pocket — and Riley said Williams has to be prepared for that. That’s why there’s been more of an effort on his pocket presence.

“Just want to do it effectively,” Riley said. “I don’t want to harness those guys, but if people’s plan when Caleb plays is to try to keep him in the pocket, then he’s got to be able to beat that, and he’s fully capable of beating that. And that’s always part of progression of a young quarterback. Most guys, [they’ve] got to learn more and more of when to stay in there and when not to. I think he’s getting a feel for that. He’s pushing himself on it. I didn’t think it was something he, in his past, has been bad at, but it’s like a lot of areas, it’s something he can certainly get better at.

“As a quarterback, people are going to try to play you all kinds of different ways. If you’ve got ways to beat anything they throw at you, you become pretty tough.”

Lincoln Riley addresses where Caleb Williams needs to improve in Year Two

With spring practices officially underway at USC, new Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams is gearing up for his first season with the Trojans. After making the decision to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal and ultimately leave Oklahoma after a successful year, Williams has now reunited with Lincoln Riley – his former coach at OU – and is ready to lead his new team.

Now that Williams – a former On3 Consensus five-star recruit – is in Los Angeles and ready to quarterback the Trojans, there’s plenty of spotlight on him, and all USC fans are excited to see what he can do on the field.

While Williams had a strong freshman season at Oklahoma in 2021 and is expected to continue to be successful at USC, Riley said after the Trojans’ eighth spring practice on Thursday that there’s still plenty of room for improvement for his quarterback.

“It’s so different,” Riley said. “Everybody starts at a different place. I think each guy has his individual goals and things that you really highlight and say that this has to get better. And then I think there’s the natural things for everybody – understanding an offense, understanding the defenses that you’re seeing. … Game situations, I think, is a big deal for a young quarterback as they progress and understanding how their decisions can change based on different situations.