Caleb Williams declares for NFL Draft

Caleb Williams has played his final game as a USC Trojan and is officially headed into the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams delivered a thank you to his supporters at Oklahoma and USC as part of his announcement.

“The journey would be empty without the people who have supported and loved me,” Williams wrote. “To my teammates–my brothers–these last few years have been the most fun I have had playing the game. I will forever cherish the time we spent together. To my coaches and everyone else in the USC football ecosystem, thank you for your unmatched support and commitment to helping me and the entire team be the best we could be.”

Williams ended his statement: “I’m excited for the future, and I am officially declaring for the NFL draft.”

Williams was a star in his two seasons in cardinal and gold, using 26 games to establish himself as one of the USC football greats, set several school records and win USC’s eighth Heisman Trophy.

In his Heisman-winning 2022 season, Williams completed 333-of-500 passes for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns against five interceptions. He also rushed 113 times for 382 yards and 10 touchdowns. Williams set USC single-season records for passing yards, passing touchdowns, total touchdowns and offensive yards that year. In the 48-45 win against UCLA, Williams set a USC single-game record with 503 yards of offense.

His 2023 season may not have been quite as good, but he’d set a fairly unreachable standard for himself. He actually completed a higher percentage of passes (68.6% compared to 66.6% in 2022) for more yards per attempt (9.4 in 2023, 9.1 in 2022), and rushed for 11 touchdowns. Williams threw for 3,633 yards and 30 touchdowns against five interceptions this fall.

In two seasons at USC, Williams completed 67.5% of his passes for 8,170 yards and 72 touchdowns. He rushed for 524 yards and 21 scores. The two-time captain is No. 7 all-time on the USC career list for passing yards, No. 5 in total yards of offense, tied for No. 4 with Carson Palmer for career touchdown passes and No. 4 in total touchdowns. 

Williams is going to be a first-round selection in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. He has been discussed as the likely first overall selection for more than a year now. If he’s taken with the first pick, Williams would become the sixth USC Trojan taken No. 1 overall. He’d join Ron Yary (1968), O.J Simpson (1969), Ricky Bell (1977), Keyshawn Johnson (1996) and Carson Palmer (2003).

USC’s quarterback position in 2024

USC quarterback Miller Moss is the favorite to take over for Williams in 2024. Moss has been Williams’ backup for the past two seasons and made a statement against Louisville in the Holiday Bowl when given his first college start. Moss threw for 372 yards and six touchdowns against the Cardinals. The depth chart around Moss will look different this spring. While former five-star prospect Malachi Nelson was expected to push Moss for the starting spot, he is now at Boise State via the transfer portal. And instead, it’s former UNLV starting quarterback Jayden Maiava who has arrived and will provide that competition for Moss this spring.