Max Williams says the Holiday Bowl will be his final game at USC
Veteran USC safety Max Williams will be suiting up in cardinal and gold for the final time when the Trojans take the field against the Louisville Cardinals in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl next week.
The fifth-year safety has another year of eligibility remaining but said after Friday’s practice that his decision is made.
“Felt like I’ve given my all to this university for the five years I’ve been here,” Williams said, adding that he went back and forth on the decision. “I made the decision to move onto the next level for next year.”
Williams said he’s excited to play in the bowl game, adding that he’s taking everything in this week as he prepares for his final game at USC. He’s been one of the easiest Trojans to root for over the years as the 5-foot-9, 185-pound defensive back has overcome so much.
He tore knee ligaments in the first game of his senior season at Gardena (Calif.) Serra High School and managed to come all the way back and get healthy enough to start twice as a true freshman and play in four games during the 2019 season. He was a key defensive player for the Trojans in 2020 and was set to be that again the following year until another ligament injury during 2021 spring ball sidelined him for the entire season. In 2022, Williams started 13 games and was named Pac-12 Honorable Mention with a team-high 79 tackles and two interceptions.
“Everything is not going to go as you planned,” Williams said of the lessons he learned during his time with the Trojans. “You’re always going to come across adversity in life, in football. Stuff changes. Some might not go as planned that you might think. But you always got to keep moving forward. You can’t stay stagnant.”
Williams said all his energy and effort right now — as well as that of his teammates’ — is focused on Louisville and the Holiday Bowl. But he did look a little bit into the past and future for USC. Williams was asked about his favorite memory as a Trojan and he pretty quickly pointed to the 2022 and 2020 wins over UCLA at the Rose Bowl. He also said he looks forward to being a proud alum and is excited to see little brother Marcelles Williams begin his career with the Trojans as a signee in the 2024 recruiting class.
Williams takes 131 career tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and nine pass deflections into this game.
“Excited to play in the bowl game — give my all one last time,” Williams said. “I’ve always dreamed of being a Trojan. It probably didn’t go how I expected it to be. But I wouldn’t change the decision I made five years ago to come here.”
