The exodus from Norman, OK continues as QB Caleb Williams announced that he will be transferring to USC. The move will reunite Williams with former Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley who several high profile Oklahoma commits have followed to the West Coast.
Williams announced the move on his social media pages this afternoon:
The 20 year old is now the 13th player to transfer to USC since Riley was announced as head coach. Williams joins a Trojans squad that will have a decidedly different look than the one that scuffled to a 4-8 record in 2021.
The former Sooner QB is NFL draft eligible in 2024, meaning he will have two seasons to work under Riley and his high powered offense in Southern California. Williams now joins one of the best transfer hauls for any program in the nation and includes former 4 and 5 star recruits such as Travis Dye, Latrell McCutchin, Mario Williams, and Brenden Rice.
While not official, it’s widely expected that Williams will be the day 1 starter at USC as the team doesn’t boast a ton of depth at quarterback. Incumbents Mo Hasan, and Miller Moss will press him for the starter’s role in training camp, though both are longshots to say the least to start over the former Oklahoma signal caller.
In total this offseason, Riley and his Trojans have brought in 8x 3 star recruits, 4x 4 star recruits, and 1x 5 star recruit via the transfer portal alone. Meanwhile across the country it’s been a tough few months for Sooner nation as they’ve seen a wave of transfers and prospects decommitting from the program since Riley left the school.
Oklahoma’s new head coach Brent Venables has assembled his own star studded staff including former Ole Miss Offensive Coordinator Jeff Lebby and former Clemson Defensive Coordinator Ted Roof, though it has done little to stem the tide of players re-opening their recruitment. Venables and Co. will certainly have their work cut out for them to rebuild an Oklahoma offense that will be without several key players, including their starting QB and backup in Spencer Rattler who previously left for South Carolina.
USC kicks off their first season under Riley on September 3rd vs. Rice.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner