Caleb Williams is who? The next big quarterback in the NFL is being compared to Patrick Mahomes
Every team in the NFL wants a Patrick Mahomes. The Chicago Bears hope they are about to get one of their own.
Whether burden or blessing, Caleb Williams enters the 2024 Draft as the latest superstar college quarterback prospect and perhaps the first to draw legitimate comparisons to the three-time Super Bowl champion.
The Bears let their intentions be known earlier this offseason when they traded quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers just three seasons after drafting him, paving the way for general manager Ryan Poles to use the No 1 pick on Williams.
Chicago has been awaiting its answer at quarterback with which to propel the Bears back into perennial contention. They might be about to get their man.Williams finds himself sitting somewhere among the likes of Trevor Lawrence, Andrew Luck and Cam Newton when it comes to the most recognised, talked-about and anticipated quarterback prospects in recent years. As was the case with Lawrence, his name has been on the nation’s footballing radar since a young age.
Perhaps unsurprising when you monitor his running style, Williams played at both running back and linebacker as a young child before turning to quarterback in the fifth grade. He starred at Gonzaga College High School on the way to guiding the team to a District Championship as a sophomore in 2018 while winning District Player of the Year after passing for 2,624 yards and 26 touchdowns as well as rushing for 394 yards and 10 scores. Having seen his senior year cancelled due to Covid, he became a five-star recruit and the No 2 quarterback prospect of his class behind Quinn Ewers before committing to the University of Oklahoma.
Upon teaming up with Lincoln Riley he went on to leapfrog Spencer Rattler as the Sooners’ starting quarterback midway through the 2021 campaign and went 5-2 while throwing for 1,912 yards and 21 touchdowns to four interceptions before entering the transfer portal in January 2022. He eventually reunited with Riley, who had departed a month before to take the head coaching job at USC.