Saturday’s game against UCLA could mark Williams‘ final college appearance if he decides to forgo USC’s bowl game and enter the NFL draft.
The 2023 college football season isn’t going the way USC quarterback Caleb Williams hoped it would. The Trojans, who entered the season ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press poll, are 7-4 heading into their regular-season finale—losers of two in a row and already out of contention for both the Pac-12 title and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
But the reigning Heisman Trophy winner can give himself a birthday present with a win on Saturday. Williams turns 22 on the same day USC battles rival UCLA in the battle for L.A.
„It’s always exciting for me to be in this game versus UCLA—[now] on my birthday,“ Williams told reporters this week. „Obviously, it does bring a little extra excitement just for myself. Just another game [though], trying to go through it all and do the things I’ve got to do to try and help this team win on Saturday.“
This USC-UCLA game could mark Williams‘ final time donning a Trojans uniform if he opts to declare early for the 2024 NFL draft. The crosstown matchup between the Bruins (6-4) and Trojans is scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will air on ABC.
Here are five things to know about Williams ahead of what could be his last college game.
Williams, who hails from the Washington, D.C., area, was a two-time All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference selection and the Gatorade Football Player of the Year during his time at Gonzaga College High School.
As a junior, the signal-caller threw for 1,770 yards and 19 touchdowns while adding 838 yards and 18 scores on the ground. Williams did not play a senior high school season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was ranked as the nation’s No. 1 player by SI All-American in 2020 and was a five-star prospect, according to 247Sports. Out of high school, the 6-foot-1 QB committed to play for coach Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma.
