| Caleb Williams | |
| Current Team: | Chicago Bears |
| Number: | 18 |
| Position: | Quarterback |
| Birth Date: | November 18, 2001 |
| Birth Place: | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 1 |
| Weight Lb: | 216 |
| Draftyear: | 2024 |
| Draftround: | 1 |
| Draftpick: | 1 |
| Pastteams: |
|
| Status: | Active |
| Highlights: |
|
| Statseason: | 2024 |
| Statweek: | 13 |
| Statlabel1: | Passing attempts |
| Statvalue1: | 411 |
| Statlabel2: | Passing completions |
| Statvalue2: | 253 |
| Statlabel3: | Completion percentage |
| Statvalue3: | 61.6% |
| Statlabel4: | TD–INT |
| Statvalue4: | 14–5 |
| Statlabel5: | Passing yards |
| Statvalue5: | 2,612 |
| Statlabel6: | Passer rating |
| Statvalue6: | 86.1 |
| Pfr: | WillCa03 |
Caleb Sequan Williams (born November 18, 2001) is an American professional football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). Following one season of college football with the Oklahoma Sooners, he played for the USC Trojans and won the 2022 Heisman Trophy after setting single-season school records in passing yards and touchdowns. Williams was selected first overall by the Bears in the 2024 NFL draft.
Williams was born on November 18, 2001, in Washington, D.C., later attending Gonzaga College High School, where he played high school football.[1] [2] As a sophomore in 2018, he led Gonzaga to a WCAC Championship as the best team in the District, and was named Washington Post All-Metropolitan 1st team and Washington, D.C. Gatorade Football Player of the Year after he passed for 2,624 passing yards with 26 touchdowns and rushed for 394 yards and 10 touchdowns.[3] As a junior in 2019, he was named Washington Post All-Metropolitan 1st team for the second consecutive year after he passed for 1,770 yards with 19 touchdowns and rushed for 838 yards with 18 touchdowns. He was named the Elite 11 finals MVP the following summer.[4] In 2020, his senior season was cancelled due to COVID-19.[5] The highest-rated quarterback prospect of his class, Williams committed to play college football at the University of Oklahoma.[6] [7] [8]
Williams entered his true freshman season with the Oklahoma Sooners in 2021 as the backup to Spencer Rattler,[9] [10] before assuming the role as starting quarterback midway through the Sooners' rivalry game with the Texas Longhorns in the team's sixth game of the season.[11] In that game, Oklahoma was down 35–17 before Williams replaced Rattler and led the Sooners to a 55–48 victory.[12] He finished with 212 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 88 yards rushing, and a rushing touchdown.[13] Williams made his first start the following week, against Texas Christian University, and threw for 295 yards, four touchdowns, and rushed for 66 yards and a rushing touchdown as Oklahoma won 52–31.[14] Williams finished his freshman year with 21 passing touchdowns, six rushing touchdowns, and four interceptions in seven games.[15]
On January 3, 2022, Williams entered the transfer portal, and on February 1, he announced that he had transferred to the University of Southern California to play for the Trojans, reuniting him with head coach Lincoln Riley, who had been the head coach for the Sooners before being hired away by the Trojans the previous November.[16] [17] Williams was named the starter on August 25[18] and team captain on August 31.[19] In his first start against Rice, he went 19/22 with 249 yards and two touchdowns, as USC won 66–14.[20] He became the AP College Football Player of the Year, USC's first winner since Reggie Bush in 2005,[21] and was named the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner.[22] His 42 passing touchdowns led the NCAA.[23]
Williams and the Trojans went 7–5 in 2023 during the regular season, throwing for 3,333 yards with 31 passing and 11 rushing touchdowns.[24] [25] He declared for the 2024 NFL draft following the season, finishing his college career throwing for nearly 10,000 yards with 120 total touchdowns.[26]
As is the school's tradition for Heisman winners, his number 13 was retired by USC in 2024.[27]
| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| Oklahoma Sooners | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 11 | 7 | 5–2 | 136 | 211 | 64.5 | 1,912 | 9.1 | 21 | 4 | 169.6 | 79 | 442 | 5.6 | 6 | |
| USC Trojans | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 14 | 14 | 11–3 | 333 | 500 | 66.6 | 4,537 | 9.1 | 42 | 5 | 168.5 | 113 | 382 | 3.4 | 10 | |
| 2023 | 12 | 12 | 7–5 | 266 | 388 | 68.6 | 3,333 | 8.6 | 30 | 5 | 170.1 | 97 | 142 | 1.5 | 11 | |
| Career | 37 | 33 | 23–10 | 735 | 1,099 | 66.9 | 9,782 | 9.2 | 93 | 14 | 169.3 | 289 | 966 | 3.3 | 27 | |
See also: 2024 Chicago Bears season. Williams was selected first overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL draft. The Bears traded the previous year's first overall selection to the Carolina Panthers to acquire the pick used on Williams, also acquring D.J. Moore and several other selections in the said trade.[28] He was one of six quarterbacks taken in the first round, tied with the 1983 draft for the most in NFL history.[29] Williams was named the starter in May.[30] He signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $39.4 million fully guaranteed, on July 17, 2024.[31] [32]
Williams was the first quarterback selected first overall to win their season-opening NFL debut since 2002, completing 14-of-29 passes for 93 yards with no touchdowns or turnovers in a 24–17 win against the Tennessee Titans.[33] Williams recorded his first two career touchdowns and set the Bears' single-game rookie passing record with 363 yards in a 21–16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3.[34] After a 1–2 start, Williams led victories over the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers, throwing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns against Carolina, becoming the first Bears rookie quarterback with multiple 300+ yard games.[35] In Week 6 in London, Williams threw four touchdown passes in a 35–16 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, leading Chicago to their first three-game win streak since 2020 heading into the bye week.[36]
In Week 8 against the Washington Commanders, Williams led a late go-ahead touchdown drive, but the Bears lost on a last-second Hail Mary, later dubbed the Madhouse in Maryland.[37] Chicago’s struggles continued with back-to-back losses to the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots. The Bears offense failed to score a touchdown and Williams was sacked 15 times, marking the first time since 2004 that Chicago did not score a touchdown in consecutive games.[38] [39] Williams ended his four-game touchdown drought in a Week 12 overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings, throwing for 340 yards, two touchdowns, and setting the Bears' rookie passing yards record.[40] On Thanksgiving against the Detroit Lions, Williams threw three touchdowns and set a rookie record for consecutive passes without an interception, but poor late-game clock management cost the Bears a chance at a comeback as they lost their sixth straight game, resulting in the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus the following day.[41] [42]
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHI | 12 | 12 | 4–8 | 253 | 411 | 61.6 | 2,612 | 6.4 | 217.7 | 47 | 14 | 5 | 86.1 | 59 | 378 | 6.4 | 24 | 0 | 49 | 331 | 4 | 2 | ||
| Career | 12 | 12 | 4–8 | 253 | 411 | 61.6 | 2,612 | 6.4 | 217.7 | 47 | 14 | 5 | 86.1 | 59 | 378 | 6.4 | 24 | 0 | 49 | 331 | 4 | 2 | ||