Caleb Williams reveals who he looked up to at QB position

USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams took home college football’s most prestigious individual award this year, the Heisman Trophy. Williams joins a group comprised of college football’s best players of all time, and prior to receiving the award, Williams was asked what Heisman Trophy winner he looked up to when he was growing up.

“Someone I looked up to not too long ago, Joe Burrow. I’ve met Joe and I’ve been around him a little bit and kind of watching him work, especially throughout that one year, was very special,” Williams said.

Burrow took home the Heisman Trophy in 2019, as he led the LSU Tigers to a historic, undefeated season capped off by a National Championship win over Clemson. In that season, Burrow threw for a whopping 5,671 yards and 60 touchdown passes, earning him the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

“For sure him and now what he’s been able to do in the pro, but for sure Joe,” Williams said. “He’s done a really good job, especially in college as we all saw and then now in the pros.”

Burrow led the Cincinnati Bengals to a playoff run and Super Bowl appearance just last season, snapping a franchise playoff wins drought that dated back to 1990.

Williams has some work to do to catch up to Burrow regarding achievements, but securing this year’s Heisman Trophy is certainly a great start. Similar to Burrow, Williams transferred into USC, leading the Trojans to an 11-1 regular season record and a conference championship appearance behind his 4,075 passing yards and 37 touchdown passes.

WATCH: Caleb Williams delivers speech after winning the Heisman Trophy

USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams is a Heisman Trophy winner. The most prestigious individual award in college football, Williams will now join an exclusive fraternity thanks to his unreal 2022 season in Los Angeles. Winning comfortably over the other three candidates, it’s a special moment for everyone involved.

Arguably even more special is the moment after the winner is announced. Heisman Trophy-winning speeches can be emotional ones and Williams was no different. Talking through his life, the 2022 season, and journey toward being on stage Saturday night was an inspirational one.

Family, head coach Lincoln Riley, and old coaches all got shoutouts from Williams. You could see and hear the emotion coming from Williams’ speech throughout the entire speech.

You can watch the full speech here.

While emotion was the theme of the speech, Williams still had the opportunity to find some humor on the big stage.

Georgia‘s Stetson Bennett, TCU‘s Max Duggan, and Ohio State‘s CJ Stroud also made the trip to New York City but will head home empty-handed. The joke might be on Williams, though, as the three now have College Football Playoff matchups to look forward to.

“I may be standing up here today but y’all get to go to the College Football Playoff,” Williams said. “Guess you can’t win them all.”

While he might not have an opportunity to win a national championship this season, Williams is a worthy Heisman Trophy winner.

Williams throws for 4,075 yards and 37 touchdowns while also rushing for 372 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground to cement himself as a true dual-threat quarterback. This was just his first season with the USC Trojans but second in Riley’s system, previously at Oklahoma.

Once the lights were on, things drastically changed for Williams. A former On300 No. 1 overall player, his college career will always be remembered.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report