Chicago Bears' Quarterback Caleb Williams' USC Trojans Jersey Retired vs. Notre Dame

Former USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams had his No. 13 Trojans jersey retired at halftime Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Williams had a phenomenal college career from 2021 through 2023. He joins six other Trojans to have their jersey numbers retired. For such a successful program with an illustrious history, this is an impresscvie feat.

Williams spent his first year at Oklahoma before transferring and following coach Lincoln Riley to USC for the 2022 season. 

Caleb Williams threw for an astounding 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns in 2022, leading USC to a 11-3 finish. He ran away with the Heisman trophy. 

Williams didn’t have quite the same output in 2023 with 3,633 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, but it was still good enough for him to be the slam dunk No. 1 overall pick by the Chicago Bears. 

Williams Having Up and Down Rookie Season with Chicago

It has a been a rocky season to say the least for Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. After the a promising 4-2 start, Chicago has lost six straight games to fall to 4-8.  For Williams, it’s been a mixed bag. There have been games where he has shown flashes of the player that he was at USC, but there are also instances of a lack of accuracy and awareness.

The Bears are in the midst of a transition period after the firing of coach Matt Eberflus following baffling late game time management in a loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. With the right coaching staff around him, Williams can be a really good NFL quarterback. Chicago will have to nail this hire in the offseason if they want Williams and the team to take off. 

The Bears organization has been starving for a franchise quarterback for decades and they hope to have found it in Williams. He has the tools to be great, now he just need to show more growth and progression heading into 2025.