Lincoln Riley discusses how Caleb Williams has responded since arriving to campus

Lincoln Riley is counting on Caleb Williams to be a leader for USC football in 2022. With the Trojans beginning their spring practice Tuesday, Riley took the opportunity to evaluate his quarterback and how he fits in with his new team. 

“Caleb’s got a good way about him,” Riley said in an interview after Tuesday’s practice. “He’s one of those guys that can walk into a room of people he doesn’t know and he’s kind of a chameleon. He can fit in at any place. Now that he’s played some ball, he’s been through it and wanted to come here and establish himself as a leader. We’ve had a number of guys step up as far as who can lead the charge from the players’ side, and he’s one of them.”

Other reports of Williams’ first week of practice were equally positive, with players on the team quick to embrace him.

“He’s a leader,” running back Austin Jones said via the Los Angeles Times. “Most definitely, he’s an alpha. He’s going to come out here, he’s going to make plays and he’s going to do his thing. And you see it in him. Dude is a baller.”

Williams comes to USC as a transfer from Oklahoma this past season, taking over as the starter during the Red River Rivalry game against Texas in Week 6. A true freshman, he finished with 1,912 yards passing, 21 touchdowns and four interceptions. After Riley announced at the end of the season that he would leave Norman after five seasons to become the Trojans next head coach.

The former five-star quarterback followed suit, entering the transfer portal where he was ranked as the No. 1 overall player according to On3. He later announced his decision to reunite with Riley at USC, where he projects to be the starting quarterback for next season. His main competition for the job appears to be redshirt freshman Moss Miller, who was the No. 11 overall quarterback in the 2021 class according to On3.

Williams is set to join a USC team that is coming off of a 4-8 finish to the 2021 season. Lincoln Riley has retooled the Trojans offense through the transfer portal, where he not only added Caleb Williams, but also former Oklahoma receiver Mario Williams and Oregon running back Travis Dye. That gives USC three of the top 25 transfer in the nation according to On3, which is tied with Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas for the most of any school.

Caleb Williams was named the 2020 Gatorade High School Player of the Year after scoring 37 touchdowns for Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga Prep. He finished his first collegiate season sixth nationally in passer rating and landed on On3’s Freshman All-American team.

He will get his first opportunity to show off his skills to fans when USC hosts its annual spring game on April 23. After that, he will await the Trojans’ season opener against Rice on Sept. 3.