Caleb Williams shows why he was On3’s No. 1 2021 prospect
After a week of speculation and reports, Oklahoma true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams made his much-anticipated first start Saturday night against TCU. Williams, a 6-foot-1, 218-pounder, exceeded the lofty expectations, carving up the Horned Frogs’ defense in a 52-31 victory.
Williams, On3’s No. 1 2021 prospect out of Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga College High, was 18-of-23 for 295 yards, four touchdowns and zero picks. He also rushed for 66 yards, including an electric 41-yard touchdown run.
The Sooners’ offense looked like its old self with Williams at the helm. After six quarters, it’s apparent Williams’ rushing ability and willingness to take downfield shots opens up the offense to a degree we haven’t seen with Spencer Rattler, at least this season.
Williams looks all of a No. 1 prospect thus far. In putting together our rankings for the 2021 recruiting cycle, there was not much debate at the top. Williams was the clear choice as the No. 1 prospect, even when Quinn Ewers opted to bypass his senior season and enroll early at Ohio State as a 2021 prospect.
Our ranking of Williams differed a bit from others in the industry. While he was a top-20 prospect across the board, no one else had him in the top five. Even without the benefit of a senior season (canceled by COVID-19), we saw Williams as the most talented quarterback in the cycle.
So why was Williams our choice as the No. 1 overall prospect? Simply put, the horsepower as a passer and run threat presents a well-rounded skill package that is hard to deny in today’s football climate.
Let’s dive a little deeper into Williams’ versatile ability.
Arm talent
Willams has a quick, easy arm. He has relaxed, natural mechanics and a clean throwing motion. As early as his sophomore season, he showed the ability to flick the ball out to the boundary from the far hash without strain.
The arm strength allows Williams to touch the entire field, keeping defenses honest. Williams has unique arm dexterity, with the capability of delivering throws from about any platform. He’s able to create torque through his core to generate force on the ball despite his feet not being set. The ability to throw off-platform is as good as I’ve seen from a high school quarterback, especially as an underclassman.
We also saw Williams show confidence in his arm strength and accuracy in sticking the ball on covered receivers. He excelled on back shoulder throws.
A glance at Williams’ high school stats would lead one to think accuracy was a weakness. He never completed more than 60 percent of his passes in a season at Gonzaga. But in watching several of his games, I never found ball location to be an issue. The offense did not have many quick, easy throws that would pad a completion percentage. Williams was throwing the ball downfield, often in high-difficulty situations. It’s a scenario where you needed to scout the traits and the player, not the offense.
Athleticism and rushing ability
Williams combines his considerable arm talent with high-end athleticism and rushing ability.
In the spring before his junior season at Gonzaga, Williams posted a 4.57 time in the 40-yard dash, a 4.12-second shuttle and a 36.3-inch vertical at The Opening regional camp. He certainly was among the more athletic quarterbacks in the 2021 cycle in a combine setting.
That athleticism transfers to the field, where Williams is a considerable run threat. He ran for 838 yards and 18 touchdowns in 11 games as a junior at Gonzaga, both on designed concepts and scrambles.
While the speed and quickness are there, the nuance as a runner is what sets him apart. Williams runs with outstanding body lean. He’s tough for defenders to read, and has a nasty dead-leg move along with the ability to cut back.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen another top quarterback prospect force so many missed tackles. The slippery running style also prevents too many direct shots.
Off-schedule playmaking
The arm talent and rushing ability are supplemented by Williams’ creativity in off-script situations. There was a ton of high-level backyard style playmaking to his game as a high school player. Williams certainly experimented and was able to explore the limits of his abilities.
Playing quarterback is a performance craft. Williams’ physical skill set and aggressive mentality allowed him to create some considerable playmaking pathways within his individual style.
Scheme versatility
While it might’ve seemed as if Williams was improvising frequently, he also showed considerable polish as an in-structure quarterback. Unlike many other top high school prospects, we saw him take some snaps under center. We also were able to see him play in and navigate within a pocket.
You don’t have to squint to see how Williams would fit into most schemes, college or the NFL.
Shining in big moments
Williams played some of the nation’s better competition in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. He led Gonzaga to a WCAC title as a sophomore in 2019, taking down a nationally ranked DeMatha team with a “Hail Mary” in one of the craziest games you’ll ever see.
The composure in that huge spot as a 10th-grader was well beyond his years.
Looking ahead
During Saturday’s game, the announcing crew of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit found themselves searching for words and context to describe Williams’ performance. It was a revelatory showing that begged for knee-jerk reactions. Still, it was a performance backed with substance.
Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, I do think it’s fair to say it was the best debut from a true freshman quarterback that I can recall seeing. Trevor Lawrence set the bar high as an end-of-season true freshman when he led Clemson to a national title in 2018. If Williams keeps it up, Oklahoma stands a good chance to run the table and make a playoff push. We’ll have to see what happens, but if Williams’ talent is any indication, he could be among college football’s best quarterbacks, perhaps sooner than later.