Caleb Williams has improvements in mind this spring

Quarterback Caleb Williams was such a big recruiting win out of the transfer portal for USC this offseason that it was easy to consider that position all buttoned up when he committed to the Trojans and joined Miller Moss in the quarterback room. He was the top-ranked player in the transfer portal just a few months after earning the No. 1 overall ranking in the 2023 On300 Rankings. And he’ll enter the 2022 season as one of the Heisman Trophy favorites, provided he beats out Moss for the starting spot with the Trojans.

There’s a lot to like about a 6-foot-1, 215-pound quarterback who, as a true freshman, took over a big-time program as its starting quarterback partway through the season. Williams completed nearly 65% of his passes for 1,912 yards and 21 touchdowns against just four interceptions. He also ran 79 times for 442 yards and six more scores.

USC could do worse than getting those numbers extrapolated over the course of a full season. Head coach Lincoln Riley clearly sees Williams as an important addition to this roster. But he’s also been consistent in mentioning that there are some areas in which Williams can improve. On Tuesday, Williams spoke about some of those things on which he’s working. One item is shifting some of those rushing yards over to the passing side.

“I’ve actually been practicing to not move around so much,” Williams said of leaving the pocket or scrambling. “I started to practice that last year, especially. Sitting in the pocket a little bit more, trusting the guys that are protecting me, because that’s their job. And I believe in them. I trust them.”

He’s spending this spring looking to find that balance between when to stay and when to run. It’s everything you’d expect from a maturing quarterback. Williams said there were times last season when he took off running too soon. There were also times when he sat in the pocket too long. He also said he’s looking to master his understanding of when to keep plays alive and when to live for the next down. The example he used was not letting a first-and-10 snap turn into a second-and-17. Rather, managing that down so the team can face a second-and-10.

Mastering the Offense

Williams undoubtedly has the best understanding of this offense among the USC players. He’s been studying it since before he got to Oklahoma and he’ll be required to work as something of a player/coach this spring. He’s working with a veteran offensive line. But he knows the kind of role he needs to take with the Trojans.

“I’ve actually been trying to progress more in the offense so that I can help them out with checks or if they have a question I possibly can answer,” Williams said. “That’s been my big focus this year, is making sure that I’m taking the next steps to make sure that we’re in the right spot at the right time to go score, or get a first down, or convert, or anything like that.”

Williams joked that he’d need “Tom Brady years” in college in order to completely grasp the entirety of this offense. But he’s spending this spring digging as deep as possible into the offense, asking Riley as many questions as he can to get a fuller grasp of the playbook and offensive concepts.

“There’s always something to learn, something that I can be better at,” Williams said. “I can’t be in college for Tom Brady years, so I’m not at that point. But I am working really hard to try and reach that point. Reaching for the stars to get as much as I can.”

Williams has a bunch of new targets this season. There’s a familiar face in Mario Williams, but he hasn’t completed an in-game pass to anybody other than him. He said it’s so far, so good with his group of receivers and backs.

“Chemistry comes on the field with reps and things like that, but it also comes with being around them outside, just kind of getting a good feel for them outside of the football field,” Williams said. “I have been finding a really good connection with these guys. It has been pretty smooth.”

Williams said there have been a couple of missed passes during practice, but that he and the receivers will stay after to get a few extra reps to work out those kinks.

Williams Getting Rave Reviews

USC players haven’t been shy when it comes to voicing their opinions of Williams.

Wide receiver Mario Williams, who met the now-USC quarterback at the Under Armour Future 50 event while in high school, was asked after the first day of spring ball what Williams does well as a quarterback.

“Everything,” Williams said. “Everything. There’s nothing he can’t do. He does everything well.”

Running back Austin Jones was asked his opinion of Williams during the Trojans Live Radio Show on Monday evening.

“Oh, Caleb, he’s an Alpha,” Jones said. “I’ve been saying he’s a baller. He comes out and he makes plays from Day One. And you can just see it in him. He’s got all the intangibles and I just can’t wait to see what he does on the field.”