NEW YORK (AP) — Caleb Williams introduced sizzle, pleasure and famous person energy again to Southern California soccer.
And now the Heisman Trophy, too.
Williams, the dynamic quarterback who used to be the catalyst for the Trojans’ turnaround season, gained the Heisman on Saturday evening to make USC the primary college to take house school soccer’s maximum prestigious participant of the yr award 8 occasions.
Williams gained 544 first-place votes and a couple of,031 issues to simply outpoint TCU quarterback Max Duggan (1,420).
Williams is the fourth switch to win the Heisman within the remaining six years, becoming a member of Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018) of Oklahoma and Joe Burrow (2019) of LSU.
Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud used to be 1/3 within the balloting after coming in fourth remaining season. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett completed fourth. The highest-ranked Bulldogs will face Stroud and the fourth-ranked Buckeyes within the School Soccer Playoff on Dec. 31.
Duggan and the third-ranked Horned Frogs will play No. 2 Michigan within the different CFP semifinal on New Yr’s Eve.
“I could also be status up right here as of late, however y’all get to the School Soccer Playoffs. Bet you’ll’t win’em all,” Williams mentioned as he began his acceptance speech by means of thanking the opposite finalists.
Earlier than taking dangle of his large bronze trophy, Williams hugged Mike Garrett, USC’s first Heisman winner in 1965, one in every of 23 earlier winners to wait the rite close to Lincoln Heart.
“Desires truly do come true. Thanks, and struggle on,” Williams mentioned on the finish of his 10-minute speech.
Williams and No. 8 USC fell in need of the Pac-12 championship and a place within the playoff, nevertheless it used to be nonetheless a rebirth for a school soccer blue blood that has had most effective quick spurts of luck over the past decade.
The remaining time USC had a Heisman winner used to be 2005, when operating again Reggie Bush used to be the second one of consecutive Trojans gamers to win the award. Matt Leinart gained the Heisman in 2004 on the right way to a countrywide championship.
Bush’s Heisman win, the Trojans’ 7th, used to be later vacated for NCAA violations that started the descent of USC.
Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma each and every have seven Heisman victories.
The Trojans hope a revival is underway, led by means of Lincoln Riley, who coached Oklahoma’s remaining two Heisman winners, and Williams, who adopted the quarterback whisperer from Norman to Los Angeles.
With Riley and Williams orchestrating one of the most country’s maximum prolific offenses, USC went from 4-8 remaining to 11-2 and a Cotton Bowl bid this yr.
Williams is the epitome of the fashionable school soccer famous person. As a five-star recruit from Washington, Williams has been a star since highschool.
On the age of 10, Williams and his father, Carl, began making plans a trail to greatness. The to-do listing integrated profitable a Heisman.
“It’s one thing you dream of as a child whilst you’re in highschool, after which whilst you get to university it’s only a purpose it’s possible you’ll throw at the wall prior to the season,” Williams mentioned the day prior to checking off that purpose.
As a freshman at Oklahoma remaining yr, Williams grabbed dangle of the beginning activity, coming off the bench to rally the Sooners previous rival Texas and in an instant changing into one of the most school soccer’s most enjoyable gamers.
He transferred to USC within the offseason to play for Riley and collected an intensive and profitable endorsement portfolio prior to ever enjoying a sport for the Trojans.
Because of one in every of his NIL offers, Williams used to be ready to convey 8 of his offensive lineman with him to the Heisman rite in New York.
When the video games did get started, Williams delivered at the promise and doable.
He handed for 4.075 yards, 37 touchdowns and simply 4 interceptions, surroundings a USC report for general offense with 4.447 yards. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound sophomore additionally ran for 10 touchdowns, drawing comparisons to Chiefs’ famous person Patrick Mahomes for his talent to improvise and ship easiest passes from quite a few arm angles.
Williams completed with a kick, accounting for seven touchdowns in Best-25 victories towards UCLA and Notre Dame that put USC in playoff place.
The Trojans may just no longer shut the deal, shedding the Pac-12 identify sport to Utah with Williams hobbling via a lot of the sport with a strained hamstring. Nonetheless, he threw for 363 yards and 3 touchdowns to offer USC an opportunity, and solidified his standing as Heisman frontrunner.
Williams is the nineteenth quarterback to win the Heisman since 2000, the 1/3 from USC and the 1/3 to do it after shifting to play for Riley.
Mayfield and Murray took an identical paths below Riley when he used to be at Oklahoma. Riley left the Sooners after remaining season to take the USC activity, leaping from one storied program to some other.
Riley joins Notre Dame’s Frank Leahy (4), Alabama’s Nick Saban (4), Military’s Purple Blaik (3) and Ohio State’s Woody Hayes (3) to train no less than 3 Heisman winners.
Williams is the 6th sophomore, and 2d directly, to win the Heisman. Alabama’s Bryce Younger gained the Heisman in his 2d season remaining yr, and completed 6th within the balloting this yr, in the back of Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Williams will grow to be the newest participant with an opportunity to sign up for Ohio State’s Archie Griffin (1974-75) as a two-time Heisman winner.
However first, it’s time to seek out some area at USC’s Heritage Corridor. Williams has made Southern California Heisman U. once more.
