The father of Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams, the reigning Heisman favorite and odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft said teams shouldn’t count on him declaring if he doesn’t like where he’d land.
Carl Williams, in an interview with GQ Magazine, insinuated his son could return to USC if he doesn’t trust the franchise with the first selection.
“The funky thing about the NFL draft process is, he’d almost be better off not being drafted than being drafted first,” he said. “The system is completely backward. The way the system is constructed, you go to the worst possible situation. The worst possible team, the worst organization in the league.”
Caleb’s father referenced conversations with former NFL quarterback Archie Manning about how his landing spot hurt his trajectory. He also mentioned how quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, two of USC coach Lincoln Riley’s former pupils, both were limited by their franchises as top selections.
“So if there’s not a good situation, the truth is, he can come back to school.”
Williams is currently a junior, so while he is eligible for the NFL Draft, he would have the option to return to USC at the conclusion of this season.
When asked about his father’s comments after practice Wednesday, Williams redirected the attention toward Saturday’s upcoming game against Stanford, according to a story from 247Sports.
“We got Stanford this week,” Williams said. “That’s what I’ll be worried about.”
The Trojans quarterback seems to have picked up where he left off last season, throwing nine touchdowns and zero interceptions in two victories to start the USC season. He’ll lead his team against the Cardinal on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET.