WATCH: Caleb Williams drills field goal post from beyond midfield at Elite 11 camp
USC quarterback Caleb Williams is one of the nation’s premiere signal-callers. It’s been that way for several years, and he continues to prove himself time and time again on the biggest of stages. On Tuesday night, the first night of the Elite 11 quarterback camp, Williams decided to show off a little bit. He pulled up from beyond midfield and drilled the crossbar, a highly difficult throw to make.
Check it out below.
Williams wasn’t the only one showing off at the camp, as highly coveted five-star signal-caller Dante Moore made the same exact throw from a similar distance. According to On3’s Chad Simmons, the Oregon Ducks are currently trending for the five-star quarterback. According to the On3 Consensus Rankings, Moore is currently rated as the No. 8 overall prospect in America for the 2023 cycle.
For a full breakdown of the Elite 11 camp and how all the quarterback prospects performed there on Day 1, check out this in-depth article from On3’s Director of Scouting and Rankings–Charles Power.
On3’s JD PicKell talks about reasonable expectations for Williams and the USC Trojans this fall
USC’s offseason led to a complete power shift in college football. The addition of new head coach Lincoln Riley and the acquisition of talent from the transfer portal in players like quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Jordan Addison have flipped the script on the Trojans expectations this year.
On3’s JD PicKell recently let everyone know it’s time to pump the brakes a bit on their sky-high expectations for the Trojans heading into the 2022-2023 season. “(You have) a lot of people clamoring for the College Football Playoff. I’m here to say let’s pump the breaks for a half a second,” said PicKell. “The College Football Playoff would be amazing. I think it’s attainable in years to come with Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley continuing their marriage, but in this coming season?”
PicKell notes the offensive firepower that USC will bring to the table. Riley’s Oklahoma teams lit up the scoreboard with an average of 43.5 points per game over five seasons in Norman. Williams, Riley’s last signal caller at OU, will be key in carrying that offensive success over. Adding in the 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner Addison along with weapons like Mario Williams and Travis Dye should help keep the scoring just as potent.
Although explosive on paper, PicKell believes their focus should first and foremost be on Pac-12 success. The current wide-open nature of the conference leaves a spot ripe for the Trojan’s taking. While they’ll have their opportunity for national success, PicKell thinks this is their best path for first-year success.
“If USC could win the Pac-12, that would be phenomenal. I also think it’s very doable for where the conference is right now. It’s not really deep. USC has a super loaded roster, especially on offense. If they can put it together and win the Pac-12, that would be a great season for USC,” he said. “It’s not playoff or bust, but (USC fans) should be excited about this coming football season.”
If the Trojans were to win the conference, that very well may put them in playoff contention anyway. While the confidence in the new-look USC is through the roof, your regular season and conference slates come before any trophies are handed out. Lincoln Riley will have a prosperous first season in PicKell’s eyes if they can handle that first.
That tour towards the top of the Pac-12 will start on September 3rd when they open the season against the Rice Owls.
On3’s Sam Gillenwater also contributed to this article.