Caleb Williams addresses past rumors linking him to Wisconsin out of the transfer portal

After the 2021 campaign, Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma to take over at USC. In turn, Oklahoma starting quarterback Caleb Williams entered the transfer portal. As a freshman, Williams won the starting spot over former five-star prospect Spencer Rattler.

In his debut collegiate season, Williams completed 136-of-211 passes (64.5%) for 1,912 yards and 21 touchdowns while only throwing four interceptions. When Williams hit the transfer portal, he was a coveted target for teams around the nation.

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While few teams received any real buzz with Williams, rumors surfaced claiming he was interested in Wisconsin. Nonetheless, Williams ultimately followed Riley to USC and became a household name over the next two seasons.

During a recent appearance on “Pardon My Take,” Williams pulled back the rumors that connected him to Wisconsin in 2022.

“My best friend Dean Engram was at Wisconsin and his dad [Bobby Engram] was a coach. So we reached out to them. We were trying to just get the vibe and see what was going on, how it was up there,” Williams said. “Somehow it caught wind that I was in contact with them, which I’m consistently in contact with those two, because I’ve grown up with them.

“But, somehow it caught wind and it blew up on Instagram. But it wasn’t too huge. It wasn’t too crazy… I don’t think it was gonna happen in the end. But, much respect to the Badger fans.”

Engram played high school football with Williams and transferred to UConn this offseason. Meanwhile, Williams was the Heisman Trophy winner in 2022 after tallying 4,537 passing yards, 382 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns — 40 in the air and 10 on the ground.

In 2023, Williams couldn’t replicate his outlandish success but was still a star on the field. He threw for 3,633 passing yards and 30 touchdowns to go with 11 rushing scores. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Caleb Williams reveals rookie season expectations

Despite Williams’ accolades, he hasn’t lost sight of the work ethic that got him to this point. In July, Williams revealed his expectations for his debut campaign in the NFL.

“I didn’t come in necessarily with the expectation to be and seem like a 13-year vet,” Williams said. “I came in to work, to work my tail off, show the guys that I’m here, I’m working my tail off, I’m progressing and trying not to make the same mistake again.

“That’s the biggest thing, day in and day out, is trying not to make the same mistake over and over and learn from them. That’s been my biggest thing for me. And also understanding that I’m leading an organization and a team, so just having that mindset and being in that mind state and just trying to find my flow.”