Dropping Beats, Caleb Williams provides gifts for USC women's basketball players
Caleb Williams has only been at USC for a month, but no USC student-athlete has been as visible as the Trojans’ new quarterback when it comes to NIL deals.
Williams landed an NIL deal with Beats by Dre just days after officially beginning his career with USC. He then struck a deal with Hawkins Way Capital, a real estate private equity fund. He became part owner of Faculty, is selling signed USC helmets and footballs before even wearing one or throwing one in a game for the Trojans, and will be the face of Ac+ion Water, launching this month.
But Williams and those around him have said he would use his advantage in NIL to provide benefits to those around him. On Monday, he made his first major splash on campus.
Williams dropped by the USC women’s basketball team practice and delivered Beats headphones to members of the team.
Several members of the team posted videos of the headphones. They were accompanied by a note that read: “A little gift for a hard fought season. Keep fighting on!”
It’s been something of a disappointing season for the USC women in their first season under head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. The Trojans lost seven-straight conference games at one point and finished the regular season 12-15 overall and just 5-12 in Pac-12 play. USC is the No. 10 seed heading into the Pac-12 Tournament on Wednesday. USC gets UCLA in its opening game and with the gift from Williams, the Trojans are hoping they can Beats the Bruins.
No matter the result, there is still optimism surrounding the program going forward. Gottlieb is a terrific coach and will get more out of the program as she settles in. Sophomore Jordyn Jenkins has been tremendous this season, as has true freshman Rayah Marshall. And the Trojans are scheduled to add five-star point guard Aaliyah Gayles to the roster next year.
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Williams hitting all the right notes
Williams certainly never said anything specific about gifting items to USC student-athletes when he signed with the Trojans. But the thought has been that those around him will see some benefits of his massive NIL potential. This is the first one that has gained traction online, but it’s not expected to be the last.
When Williams announced his commitment to USC, he told ESPN’s Pete Thamel, “I want to get to work right away, earn the trust of my teammates, win championships and help bring USC back to being a top-rated program.”
It wasn’t too much time before that announcement, some USC fans were sharing concerns about the type of leader Williams could be when he was taking so much time to make a decision and missing a sizable chunk of winter conditioning.
An act like this won’t win USC any football games in the fall, but it’s a pretty good example of the type of leader Williams is within an entire athletic program and the type of presence he brings with him to USC.
