Miller Moss praises how Caleb Williams has balanced NIL opportunities, on-field success

Navigating the NIL landscape in college athletics isn’t always easy, especially for players like USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who is at the top end of the spectrum when it comes to earning power.

The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner has surely been flooded with endorsement opportunities after his sensational sophomore season, which was replete with on-field success.

“He’s obviously done a tremendous job balancing those two things,” backup quarterback Miller Moss said. “He’s obviously like very successful in both respects. I think he’s somewhat of a unique case in that not many people can handle those kind of responsibilities both in here and off the field, but he’s done a tremendous job of just showing that it’s possible. Whether that’s for everyone I can’t say, but he’s done a great job.”

While what Williams is dealing with isn’t what the vast majority of college athletes are dealing with when it comes to NIL, the basic principles are the same.

It takes some level of discipline to be able to ink deals, meet obligations and still stay focused on improvement on and off the field. Williams has proven an expert already; others have had to or will have to learn still.

But NIL clearly isn’t going anywhere, even if it becomes a little more regulated in the coming years.

“I mean there were stories you hear and everyone’s like, ‘Oh it’s the Wild West and there’s crazy stuff happening,'” Moss said. “I can’t make any logical prediction in terms of where this is heading. I know there’s that suit to make us employees of the university, I don’t know how that would shake out, like what those repercussions would be, not only in the state of California but other schools we play against.

“I mean, look, there were guys like super successful college athletes that made no money at all. So to be in the position we are right now, obviously like are there issues with NIL? Yes, of course there are. It’s like brand new, there’s not a lot of regulation. There’s not a lot of people that understand the landscape completely. But at the end of the day we’re receiving compensation that we wouldn’t have three or four years ago, so I think that’s a positive thing and it’s a step in the right direction.”

So long as players are managing all the different elements, no problem.

Williams is a pretty good example to look at for any college athletes wondering how to balance on-field success with the increased demands it can potentially create in the NIL space.