Lincoln Riley calls Caleb Williams a 'key factor' in USC's improvement

USC enters 2023 having locked up top 10 high school and transfer portal classes — and Lincoln Riley credits quarterback Caleb Williams for playing a role in that recruiting success for the Trojans.

After a Heisman Trophy-winning campaign in 2022, transfers and recruits alike are wanting to play alongside college football’s best player. Having someone as influential as Williams on your team goes a long way in all aspects of the game.

“He’s obviously been a key factor in this in a lot of different ways. I think the situation last year, he obviously did a great job, was important for our program, but also I think for his learning and his growth, it was a great situation for him to be in, as well,” Riley said during Pac-12 media day. “He was challenged to not only play a full season but to lead and to really help jump-start a program, an offense, jump-start a culture. He did a tremendous job.”

Williams’ skills allowed him to finish the 2022 season with the most passing touchdowns in the nation (42) while also finishing with the third most passing yards (4,537), a top-five QBR, and only five interceptions on the year. Williams’ efforts earned him the aforementioned Heisman Trophy — and he’s undoubtedly going to be a favorite for the nation’s top award this season, too.

Many NFL mock draft analysts are slotting Williams as the No. 1 overall choice in the 2024 NFL Draft. ESPN’s Todd McShay went as far as saying he would have projected Williams ahead of Bryce Young in this past year’s draft class — let alone next year’s.

“There is no one that I would rather go to war with than that guy,” Riley said. “His toughness, ability to lead, despite any of the good things that have happened for him or his teams, his ability to continue to want to climb, the hunger to do that is very apparent on a day-to-day basis.

“Great quarterbacks at the end of the day get defined by their team’s success, their championships. I know he’s very hungry to go close out this year with both.”

Anything less than a College Football Playoff berth will be disappointing for the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and his team. With one season left with Williams on the team — and until they jump to the Big Ten alongside rival UCLA — the Trojans would love to enter their new conference on a high note. Williams will certainly look to make the most of it.