Caleb Williams hopes Southern Cal can mirror Super Bowl team's turnaround
LOS ANGELES – Caleb Williams, the star quarterback who recently transferred to Southern Cal from Oklahoma, has taken a special interest in Sunday's Super Bowl.
He said he sees hope for USC in the Cincinnati Bengals, who were 4-11-1 in 2020 and this year are playing the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 56.
“They were the worst team in the league, or just about the worst team in the league,’’ Williams, who took over as the starting quarterback at Oklahoma midway through his freshman season, told Paste BN Sports on Wednesday. “Now they’re in the Super Bowl. See if we can as a team at USC turn it around faster than the Bengals did.’’
Williams, who reunited with former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley by joining the Trojans, said he wasn’t deterred by their recent struggles. Last year the Trojans finished 4-8.
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“People saw the 4-8 last year and don’t understand the opportunity that is at hand and the reality of what this place can be, very quickly,’’ Williams said. “The comfort not only with Riley but also the other coaches that came from OU that I had a good connection with.’’
The quarterback who threw for nearly 2,000 yards last season said he arrived at campus last week and began workouts and running drills. And last weekend, he helped lead 7-on-7 drills without the linemen.
“Yeah, I got to throw it around,’’ he said. “Got a couple fast guys. Got a couple good receivers. Got a bunch of guys (on) defense and offense that are going to be playmakers this year. Can’t wait to keep building on what we got.’’
Before settling on USC, Williams said, he looked at several other programs.
“I really liked Michigan. I really liked Coach (Jim) Harbaugh,’’ he said. “I really liked Miami with the new hire (Mario Cristobal) over there. We really liked UCLA. We liked Lane Kiffin (at Ole Miss). Obviously (Oklahoma). Got love for OU still.
“But SC ended up being the spot.’’
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