For those of you that may have missed it, this past Saturday USC and UCLA played in one of the better college football games of the year. The Trojans won by the score of 48-45, yet the more prominent headline was the performance of USC's QB Caleb Williams. He threw for 470 yards and had 3 total touchdowns, 2 in the air and 1 on the ground. Watching him play all season, it was clear to see that he has a lot of potentials and is a highly skilled QB. But after the show he put on Saturday, I think he may have more than just potential.
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| Image via Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press |
To give a little background, Williams is a Sophomore that transferred from Oklahoma to USC after a unique freshman year. In his freshman campaign, he began as the backup for Spencer Rattler. Prior to the 2021 season Rattler was seen as a shoo-in to be an NFL first-round pick. After a few disappointing performances, the team looked to Williams to give the Oklahoma Sooners a much-needed boost. After Rattler was benched, Williams was able to rally his team and defeat the Texas Longhorns. He had some other impressive performances as well, most notably a 6-TD game in a route against Texas Tech. Since transferring, he has kept that spark and has led USC to the number 5 seed in the country.
With that said, the reason I chose to write this article is because of how much this kid reminds me of NFL Superstar Patrick Mahomes. Now, I'm not saying he is as good or even close to Mahomes, but what I am saying is that when I watched Patrick Mahomes in college and when I watch Caleb Williams, I see a lot of the same.
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| Image via David K. Purdy/Getty Images |
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| Image via AP Photo/Amanda Loman |
The first thing I notice with Williams is his comfort in the pocket. Even as a 20-year-old sophomore, he stands back there as cool as can be like a vet that has done it for years. Normally a QB at this point would still be a little jittery and eager to get the ball out of his hand. But for Williams, he keeps his eyes up stays in the pocket and fires to the open target. And when the pocket collapse he is able to scramble away and take off or make throws on the run. Something Mahomes did a lot in college and still does today. He made a few of these
plays against UCLA, including a dime off his back foot for a TD. These Mahomes-esque moments have me excited for what he can become as he develops.
That's not to say that he is perfect. Williams sometimes tries to do too much and be a hero. He will try to extend a play too far and force a ball into a dangerous spot instead of throwing it out of bounds. He also doesn't have a great sense for moments in games like when to take a sack, when not to, and when to look for a check down instead of going for a homerun ball. With that being said, he is only 20 and has a long way to go and a lot to learn. I think he can improve on his mistakes and build on what works and maybe even be the next face of the NFL someday.
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