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Before Caleb Williams was selected by the Chicago Bears with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, he was a highly touted recruit from the Washington, D.C., area.
The signal-caller has excelled at every level, starting with his storied high school career in the nation’s capital, including one of the most memorable high school games ever played.
Let’s take a look back at Williams’ roots and his remarkable journey up to this point.
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Where is Caleb Williams from?
Williams was born and grew up in the Washington D.C. area.
Last season when the Bears went to Washington to face the Commanders, Williams called D.C. "one of the best places to grow up."
“You have all different kinds of diversity, whether it’s people and where they’re from, whether it’s some of the schools and things like that, whether it’s food, and so much more,” Williams said to USA Today.
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Where did Caleb Williams go to high school?
Williams attended Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C. In his sophomore season in 2018, he was named the Washington D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year and led Gonzaga to a WCAC Championship.
In the 2018 championship game, Williams accounted for all seven of Gonzaga’s touchdowns—including a receiving score—and totaled nearly 500 yards from scrimmage. He even broke his foot before the final whistle but stayed in the game. Gonzaga won 46-43, and his performance is widely regarded as one of the greatest single-game efforts in high school football.
The following season, Williams earned Washington Post All-Metropolitan First Team honors for the second consecutive year and was named Elite 11 MVP the following summer.
Across 20 varsity games, Williams finished with 3,709 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns, along with 426 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. Ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in his class, he committed to Oklahoma.
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Where did Caleb Williams go to college?
Williams spent his freshman season at the University of Oklahoma, where he was initially expected to be the backup for Spencer Rattler. However, Rattler, who was considered a Heisman favorite, struggled, thrusting Williams into the starting role midway through the season.
In his first significant college appearance, Williams came in for Rattler when Oklahoma trailed 28-7 against Texas and led the Sooners to the largest comeback in Red River Rivalry history. He finished with 212 passing yards, 88 rushing yards, and three total touchdowns.
Watching the Red River rivalry today has me reminiscing of the first time I watched Caleb Williams play football…
pic.twitter.com/a6cDKOda1m
— Nick Whalen (@_NickWhalen) October 12, 2024
Williams finished his freshman year with 21 passing touchdowns, six rushing touchdowns, and four interceptions in seven games. The following offseason, his head coach, Lincoln Riley, left Norman to become the next head coach of USC. Williams entered the transfer portal in January 2022 and committed to the Trojans, where he spent the final two years of his college career.
In his first season with the Trojans, Williams won the Heisman Trophy and was named AP College Football Player of the Year. He led the nation with 42 passing touchdowns while throwing for 4,537 yards and adding 10 rushing touchdowns. Williams became USC's first Heisman Trophy winner since Reggie Bush in 2005, leading the Trojans to the Pac-12 championship.
CALEB WILLIAMS IS THE 2022 HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER 🏆
🎵 Connor Price & Bens - Spinnin pic.twitter.com/wU8SGaIg10
— ESPN (@espn) December 11, 2022
In 2023, Williams threw for 3,333 yards with 31 passing and 11 rushing touchdowns as USC had an underwhelming 2023 season. He later declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, where the Bears selected him No. 1 overall.
Williams holds the USC single-season passing yards (4,537) and touchdowns (42) records. His No. 13 was retired by USC in 2023.
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Caleb Williams college stats
Williams had a decorated college career, which included him playing at two national powerhouses and winning the most-heralded football in all of college football.
Season Team Games Comp. rate Passing yards Passing TDs INT Rushing yards Rushing TDs
2021 Oklahoma 11 64.5% 1,912 21 4 442 6
2022 USC 14 66.6% 4,537 42 5 382 10
2023 USC 12 68.6% 3,633 30 5 136 11
Career 37 66.9% 10,082 93 14 960 27
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