It was noticed by a lot of USC fans that Miller Moss publicly thanked Caleb Williams earlier this week after Caleb declared for the 2024 NFL draft. That was a very open and visible display of respect from Moss, putting to rest the idea that Caleb was somehow a bad teammate who didn’t command admiration or earn trust from his USC teammates.
One of the ugliest whisper campaigns of 2023 from some media personalities and fans was this idea that Caleb Williams was a bad teammate based on a gesture here or a lack of emotion there. Yes, USC had a bad season, and yes, USC didn’t play nearly as well as it should have … but it wasn’t because Caleb Williams was a bad teammate.
We have said this multiple times, and we need to say it again: This was about human nature. When a player such as Caleb Williams takes the field, it is easy for teammates to think he will rescue a broken play or escape pressure and make everything okay in the end. Caleb Williams is so talented that his teammates trusted his talent a little too much, instead of doing their jobs.
Also, USC was simply a soft team in 2023. It missed Andrew Vorhees. It missed Brett Neilon. It missed Bobby Haskins. Those guys played hard for Caleb Williams. It’s not as though Caleb suddenly became a worse teammate in 2023.
What Caleb didn’t do well in 2023 was take the checkdown and the short gain. He was trying to make the perfect play too often, especially with an offensive line which wasn’t as good as 2022 and receivers who didn’t get as open as they did in 2022. It wasn’t a lack of morale in the locker room which doomed USC’s offense (the defense? that’s a separate question). The Trojans simply weren’t as good, and Caleb Williams didn’t adjust to that reality by making the simple play instead of hoping the big downfield splash play would develop.
Miller Moss respects Caleb Williams. USC didn’t play as hard for Caleb as it did for Moss in the Holiday Bowl because the Trojans knew Miller Moss needed help in order to succeed. USC didn’t always think Caleb Williams needed help — not because Caleb was selfish, but because human nature leads us to watch superstars do their thing instead of focusing on the task at hand. That’s a really important point to make as we put Caleb’s USC career into perspective.
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