Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams says there is still a chance he won’t enter the 2024 NFL Draft.
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner enters the No. 6 Trojans’ season opener against San Jose State on Saturday as the presumptive No. 1 pick next April if he declares, which is no longer a sure thing.
“That’s for sure now going to be an in-the-moment decision at the end of the year,” Williams told ESPN. “It’s my third year, and the dream and goal was to go three-and-out. Being around these guys and in college and enjoying it, we’ll have to see at the end of this year.”
Williams, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound junior, passed for 4,537 yards with 42 touchdowns and just five interceptions and rushed for 10 scores last season. He led the Trojans to an 11-3 finish and a spot in the Pac-12 championship game.
Williams, 21, said he enjoys playing for coach Lincoln Riley and the whole college experience, perhaps opening the door for another year as the big man on the USC campus.
“Being in college now, being part of this brotherhood and being with Coach Riley, it’s been awesome,” he said.
Williams said any decision to skip the 2024 draft would be based on several variables, including the outcome of the 2023 season and his potential draft position.
“I don’t think there’d be one specific thing to effect and detour that type of decision,” he said. “It’d have to be a multitude of things to lead me to one side or the other.”
Williams transferred to USC from Oklahoma, where he passed for 1,912 yards with 21 TDs and four interceptions while playing for Riley in 2021.
–Field Level Media
