Countdown to kickoff is back! USC will kick off its 2026 football season on August 29 when the Trojans host San Jose State at the Coliseum. In this series, we will be counting down the days until the season opener by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number.
With 13 days to go, today, we look at USC Heisman Trophy quarterback Caleb Williams.
Position: Quarterback
Years played at USC: 2022-2023
Career highlights: Williams started his college career at Oklahoma, before transferring to USC alongside head coach Lincoln Riley following the 2021 season. In his first year with the Trojans, Williams took the college football world by storm, recording 4,537 passing yards and 42 touchdowns, to go along with ten more scores on the ground. That fall,
Williams became USC’s eighth Heisman Trophy winner while leading the Trojans to 11 victories—after they won just four games the year prior.
The following season, Williams’s numbers regressed slightly, but were still impressive. However, the Trojans struggled on the field in 2023, finishing the regular season just 7-5. Williams’s final game in Cardinal and Gold was a 38-20 home blowout loss to rival UCLA, as he elected to sit out of USC’s Holiday Bowl victory over Louisville.
After USC: Williams declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, where the Chicago Bears selected him with the first overall pick. Williams’s rookie season was an up-and-down one, as he finished it throwing for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions while leading Chicago to a 5-12 record.
In his second season in the league last year, Williams took a massive step forward. He threw for 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns while helping the Bears win their first division title in seven years. Williams will look to establish himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC countdown to kickoff: Recalling Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams
