What makes Caleb Williams an 'easy' choice as the top player in college football

The consensus top college football player in the nation was last year was considered to be USC quarterback Caleb Williams. That doesn’t look to be any different heading into the 2023 season.

On3 released its top 100 college football players for the 2023 season 100 days out from the start of the campaign and Williams was ranked No. 1.

On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power hopped on Monday with Paul Finebaum on The Paul Finebaum Show to discuss the rankings.

The first question was, unsurprisingly, about the man at the top of the rankings.

“Caleb Williams was an easy decision,” Power said. The reigning Heisman winner. I think in a typical year, you would maybe see Drake Maye be the number one guy. There was a feeling I think within NFL circles that both those guys would have maybe been the number one pick in this past draft if they had been eligible. But Caleb Williams, in my opinion, is the best college football players since Trevor Lawrence — maybe the best playmaker since Lamar Jackson. So easy decision.”

North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye was the second-ranked player in the On3 rankings. Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Georgia tight end Brock Bowers and Florida State EDGE Jared Verse round out the top five.

LSU linebacker Harold Perkins is the highest-ranked underclassman on the list. The sophomore star is the No. 6 player in the country.

Williams threw for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns last season while completing 333 of his 500 passing attempts. He also added another 382 yards on the ground and 10 touchdowns.

While there has been only one repeat Heisman Trophy winner in history, Williams is the current betting favorite to win the award once again. According to VegasInsider, Williams’ odds to repeat range from +450 to +550 depending on the Sportsbook.

No other player has odds better than +1000.

Power said that while history has shown the college football world that repeating as a Heisman Trophy winner is difficult, he thinks Williams would have as good of a shot as anyone.

“It’s highly unlikely we see back to back, repeat Heisman winners,” Power added. “I’m always gonna pick the field in that but when you look at this year, Caleb Williams has a good chance to go back to back. I would say it’s unlikely but he’s just explosive and special in every way.