Lincoln Riley Says Caleb Williams Was Willing to Walk on at Oklahoma

USC head coach Lincoln Riley provided some insight toward Caleb Williams' competitive mindset during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

Riley, who first coached Williams at Oklahoma, said Monday that the top quarterback prospect was willing to walk on with the Sooners when the coaching staff wasn't going to offer him a scholarship.

"That's his mindset," Riley said. "It's always about the next step. He's ready for this."

Williams ended up playing one season for Riley at Oklahoma in 2021 and split time with Spencer Rattler under center.

He then followed the coach to USC and became the top draft prospect he is today thanks to his individual brilliance with the Trojans. Williams won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 while completing 66.6 percent of his passes for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and five interceptions and then followed up by throwing for 30 touchdowns and five picks in 2023.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department gave him an overall player grade of 9.2 and ranked him as the fourth-best prospect in the 2024 NFL draft.

Yet he may very well end up being the No. 1 overall pick.

The Chicago Bears have the No. 1 pick and may decide that Williams is too talented to pass up even though they have Justin Fields under contract. Perhaps that means Fields is traded elsewhere. Or perhaps another team becomes so enamored with Williams they end up offering the Bears a trade they cannot refuse.

But the USC quarterback will surely be under the spotlight that comes with being such a highly regarded prospect for the next two months before the NFL draft. That will mean scouts, analysts and front offices evaluating his every throw and move on film and at the NFL Scouting Combine and pro days.

Riley said Williams is ready for it, though, and he seems to have the competitive makeup to attack the entire process.

After all, he had enough self-belief that he was willing to be a walk-on at the collegiate level.