The 2021 Oklahoma Sooners’ football season needs an ESPN “30 for 30” documentary one day. It’s one of the wildest seasons in recent memory.
[autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Spencer Rattler[/autotag]’s quarterback battle was one of the biggest storylines of the season. For those who don’t remember, Williams was one of the top quarterback prospects coming out of high school. Rattler was the projected top pick ahead of the 2022 NFL draft.
In an interview with the Pivot Podcast, Williams said even with all of that, he felt he should have been the starter the whole season. “I told people before I went there that I was going to start, play and beat him out. I thought I beat him out in spring. He was projected No. 1 and all of that. So he started for six games, and so I prepared. I kept preparing, and Lincoln (Riley) told me to keep going.”
But when he wasn’t the starter, he admits he became “so angry, so frustrated” at the situation. Still, Williams would keep going as his coach encouraged and ultimately received his chance in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma’s archrival.
Williams entered the game with the Sooners down 28-7. On fourth-and-1, he received the call for a designed quarterback run and broke free for a 66-yard touchdown. The rest is history.
“I watched and learned Tom Brady for Drew Bledsoe,” Williams said. “You prepare and prepare but when you get your moment, you never know how long it’s going to be and you never know what’s going to happen but when you get your moment, you don’t give it back. So, that was my mindset and plan.”
Credit to him because he did that. He earned his moment and he didn’t give it back. Now, the irony is the guy he was so angry and so frustrated with was the coach he followed to a new school. It was nothing the school did; it was something his coach did that made him feel that way.
Still, Sooner fans shouldn’t be mad at Williams. Williams came to Oklahoma because he wanted to be developed by Riley. He even admitted in the interview that Riley was the best when it comes to development. So, following Riley made all of the sense in the world.
Williams is about to be taken first overall in the 2024 NFL draft. His story is one of the great “what ifs?” in college football. He’s no doubt a great player and one of the best talents college football has seen this millennium, but the fact that he and Riley were never able to win a conference title leaves a little to be desired.
Still, as he heads to the NFL, Williams will continue to provide highlight-reel moments with his athleticism and passing ability.
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