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Caleb Williams Names Major College Football Program He Nearly Committed To Over USC

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Jan 23, 2025 4:36 PM ET

Caleb Williams is set to enter his second season in the NFL with a brand new coach in Ben Johnson. The 2024 No. 1 overall pick struggled a bit in his rookie season, although the coaching issues didn't help him.

In college, Williams was a superstar. He began his career at Oklahoma and then followed head coach Lincoln Riley when he went to take the job at USC.

Williams' numbers at USC were unreal as he threw for a total of 8,170 yards with 72 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in two seasons. He threw for 42 touchdowns and 4,537 yards in 2022 as he won the Heisman Trophy.

However, in a recent episode of the St. Brown podcast, Williams revealed the other programs he was considering when he left Oklahoma via the transfer portal.

"I was going to go to UCLA, just to play against him," Williams said. "I went on a whole UCLA visit, I went on a couple other visits too, UCLA, LSU, things like that.

"It really came down to USC and UCLA, just because I wanted to beat him, just 'cause he left," Williams continued.

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Caleb Williams says he nearly transferred from Oklahoma to UCLA after Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for USC because he wanted to beat him. Williams ultimately decided to join Riley at USC where he won a Heisman before being selected No. 1 overall in last year’s NFL Draft. #nfl #collegefootball #football
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Williams said he was "angry" when Riley initially left Oklahoma for USC and he took the visit to UCLA just so he could beat him.

However, Williams then mentioned that he and Riley Facetimed and discussed it and he ended up at USC as a result.

However, one can only imagine if Williams did go to UCLA and played with Chip Kelly and the Bruins. One can also only imagine the USC-UCLA rivalry if it was Williams against Riley in the Battle of LA.

Nonetheless, Williams decided to go to USC, and the rest is history.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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