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Caleb Williams Makes His Presence Felt at Elite 11 Finals

Erik-McKinneyby:Erik McKinney•06/15/23•

ErikTMcKinney

Caleb Williams
USC quarterback Caleb Williams at the 2023 Elite 11 Finals (Scott Schrader/WeAreSC)

No event having to do with quarterbacks would be complete without USC’s Caleb Williams in attendance. So it was only fitting that the Heisman Trophy winner was on hand Wednesday evening for the first night of the 2023 Elite 11 Finals.

Williams was one of several notable college quarterbacks in attendance. That group also included Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and LSU’s Jayden Daniels.

And Williams fired a few footballs around during the competition featuring the nation’s top high school quarterbacks.

And as an additional note for the above clip, that’s 2024 running back and USC commit Bryan Jackson hauling in the pass from Williams.

In addition to throwing some passes to the assembled receivers, Williams also participated in the first evening’s most anticipated event: The Rail Shot Challenge.

Quarterbacks are asked to throw a ball to a wide receiver who stutters outside and then gets vertical along the sideline. The throw is a Cover 2 beater. It leads a receiver up the field away from a sinking cornerback. But it isn’t thrown far enough inside or with enough air under it to allow a safety to get over in time to make a play.

Williams drilled his first attempt and was one of the final five quarterbacks standing.

The final three quarterbacks in the event: Penn State commit Ethan Grunkenmeyer, TCU commit Hauss Hejny and uncommitted Trever Jackson.

Flashback to 2022

There shouldn’t be any concern about Williams not winning the event. The USC quarterback already proved he can make the throw when it truly counts. Trojan fans will likely recognize it from USC’s win against Oregon State. With a little more than a minute remaining and USC down 14-10, Williams threw an inch-perfect pass to Jordan Addison for the game-winning touchdown. Addison released outside the cornerback and got upfield. The safety tried to get out to Addison but Williams beat him with a phenomenal throw.

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Garry Paskwietz (1966-2019)

Garry Paskwietz was a pioneer in bringing team-specific sports coverage to the internet. He founded WeAreSC in 1998 and was an Emmy winner for his work with Fox Sports West. Always generous with his time, knowledge, and compassion, he touched the lives of countless USC and high school football fans.

Garry Paskwietz