Caleb Williams Setting Some Audacious Goals for 2023

Caleb Williams is continuing to reap the rewards that come with being a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback for the USC Trojans. He’s in Arizona, participating in media week ahead of Super Bowl LVII. Friday, he appeared on First Things First with Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, and Kevin Wildes. Wright said he believed Williams was the first college athlete to appear on the show.

During his appearance, Williams was asked about the injury suffered in the Pac-12 Championship Game and what makes Lincoln Riley such a tremendous quarterback whisperer. Williams also offered who he would be rooting for on Sunday, and was comfortable setting what feels like an absolutely impossible goal for 2023 (Though with Caleb Williams, maybe nothing is impossible).

Sights Set on Perfection This Fall

Wildes mentioned the 42-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio Williams posted in 2022. He asked the USC quarterback if maybe there were times he could have taken more chances, or he was focused on not throwing any interceptions.

“I want to have a zero interception year,” Williams said, parroting the question. “And maybe one or two 100-completion percentage games if I can. I for sure want to throw more touchdowns every year. My self goals that I set before the season go up.”

Williams said he surpassed some of the goals he had heading into the 2022 season. The numbers he has in mind to aim for in 2023 at this point might make him the Heisman Trophy winner again.

“This next year I’ll probably go for around 60,” Williams said of his touchdown total, which would be eight more than he posted last fall. “Hopefully I can go for around 5,000 yards passing.”

Williams did bump the interception number up a bit from aiming for zero. He said a total of three or fewer might be his goal.

Lincoln Riley and the Quarterback Position

Wright asked Williams exactly what makes Riley so good at getting such great production out of the quarterback position. Riley’s quarterbacks have won three Heisman Trophies now and Williams will very likely be the third one selected first overall in the NFL Draft.

“He’s a mastermind,” Williams said. “I’ve said this since I’ve been with him and he’s been coaching me. He’s a mastermind of the offense. He’s the best and you always like being around the best. And I for sure want to be the best that I can be when I go out there and perform. I want to win big games and making sure that we are both on the same page is one of the biggest things that you can have for an offensive coordinator and a QB.”

The Next Step for Williams

Some of the hyperbole this offseason has mentioned that Williams would likely be the No. 1 overall pick if he were eligible for this upcoming NFL Draft. But Williams said there’s plenty more for him to learn.

“There’s a lot more that I don’t know about football,” Williams said. “From defenses to the next level of what’s going to happen, the speed and all of that. There’s so much that I don’t know yet and that’s kind of the fun part about this game and me being so young. It’s really exciting to me that I don’t know as much as I will.”

Playing Through Injury

Williams was asked about the hamstring injury suffered against Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game. He again used a Kobe Bryant mantra to explain his thoughts.

“The game is bigger than whatever I’m feeling in that moment,” Williams said, echoing his comments immediately following the game. “I was really focused on trying to go and be my same self out there and trying to up other levels of my game. With me kind of being down a hamstring and a leg, those other levels of leadership and kind of being level-headed and going out there and trying to perform the best that I could for my guys was in full effect.”

Williams on the Super Bowl

Williams said he’s met Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts a couple of times. The connection there is that both are former Oklahoma quarterbacks. Williams said he does “kind of” want the Eagles to win on Sunday. But he couched that a bit, as an obvious fan of Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

“But I also want Pat to get another Bowl,” Williams said.