Lincoln Riley reveals how Caleb Williams can fit into legacy of USC quarterbacks

Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley came to USC from Oklahoma in an almost package deal this offseason. Based on Williams and Riley’s prior relationship, there’s no coach in the country who knows how to utilize Williams’ skillset better than Riley – to which the Trojans headman discussed how his quarterback will fair under the national spotlight in his first full season as a starting quarterback in a Power Five conference.

“Caleb has a great skill set. He does,” Riley said at Pac-12 Media Days. “That was pretty apparent the first time that I saw him. You get a lot of guys that are really athletic quarterbacks but maybe leave something to be desired with accuracy or arm talent, or vice versa.

“Caleb is one of the rare young guys that has elite ability with both. Then I think for those of you that maybe got a chance to be around him a little bit, he’s got a very magnetic personality. He’s a guy that can get in any scenario, any room, feel comfortable, get along with people, be very present, has a great way with people. I think you got the makings of a potentially great leader and a really great player.”

Last season as a true freshman, Williams completed 64.5% of his passes for 1,912 yards and 21 touchdowns against just four interceptions. He also rushed 79 times for 442 yards and six touchdowns in eight starts in 2021.

Riley pointed out the fact that Williams is only entering his sophomore season. His youth and inexperience has brought a lot of scrutiny to the Trojans signal caller since he took over as the starter at Oklahoma midway through last season. Riley, who was Williams’ head coach in Norman, believes the few games Williams started has prepared him for the national spotlight that the USC move has brought him.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done. I think he’s very aware of that. [The whole quarterback room] were all talented, too,” Riley said. “I think the reason, one of the reasons, they kept improving was they stayed hungry and they realized the areas they had to get better, the work it was going to take to make that improvement. It’s something we’ve been able to talk about. He’s responded well. I think he’s a much better player right now than at any point last season, as we would expect him to be.”