USC’s Williams Wins Heisman Award After Leading Trojan Turnaround

Caleb Williams It brought heat, excitement and star power to Southern California football.

And now the Heisman Trophy too.

Williams, the dynamic quarterback who was the catalyst for the Trojan turnaround season, won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, USC It is the first school to win the College Football Player of the Year award eight times.

Williams won first place votes with 544 votes and 2,031 points, easily beating TCU quarterback Max Dugan (1,420 votes).

Williams is the fourth transfer to win the Heisman Trophy in the last six years, following Baker Mayfield in 2017 and Kyler Murray in 2018. Oklahoma LSU’s Joe Burrow (2019).

Ohio‘s CJ Stroud finished third in the polls, following his fourth-place finish last season. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett finished fourth. The No. 1 Bulldogs will face Stroud and the No. 4 Buckeyes in the college football playoffs on December 31.

Duggan and No. 3 Horned Frogs will face No. 2 Michigan in another CFP semifinal on New Year’s Eve.

“I may be standing here today, but you guys are in the college football playoffs,” Williams said as he began his acceptance speech by thanking the other finalists.

Before picking up the big bronze trophy, Williams hugged USC’s first Heisman Trophy winner Mike Garrett in 1965.

“Dreams really do come true. Thank you and keep fighting,” Williams said at the end of his 10-minute speech.

Williams and No. 8 USC failed to qualify for the Pac-12 Championship and playoffs, but it was still a revival of college football bluebloods after short-lived success over the past decade.

USC last won the Heisman Trophy in 2005, when running back Reggie Bush became the second Trojan to win the award in a row. Matt Leinart won the Heisman Trophy in 2004 and qualified for the national championship.

Bush’s Heisman Trophy, the Trojans’ seventh victory, was later annulled due to an NCAA violation that initiated USC’s descent.

Notre Dame, Ohio and Oklahoma have each won seven Heisman Awards.

The Trojans hope a revival is underway, led by Lincoln Riley, who coached Oklahoma’s final two Heisman winners, and Williams, who followed the quarterback’s whispers from Norman to Los Angeles.

Riley and Williams made one of the most prolific offenses in the nation, and USC went from last 4-8 to 11-2 and this year’s Cotton Bowl bid.

Williams is the epitome of a modern-day college football star. As his five-star recruit from Washington, Williams has been a celebrity since high school.

At the age of 10, Williams and his father, Karl, began plotting their path to greatness. The to-do list included getting Heisman.

The day before confirming the goal, Williams said, “It’s something you dreamed of as a kid in high school and just a goal you might throw at the wall before the season when you hit college.

A freshman at the University of Oklahoma last year, Williams grabbed a starting job and came off the bench to rally the Sooners past rival Texas and quickly became one of the most exciting players in college football.

He moved to USC in the offseason to play for Riley, amassing an extensive and lucrative endorsement portfolio before playing a game for the Trojans.

Thanks to the NIL deal, Williams was able to bring eight offensive linemen to the Heisman ceremony in New York.

When the game started, Williams delivered promise and potential.

He passed for 4.075 yards, 37 touchdowns, and just 4 interceptions, setting a USC record for total offense at 4.447 yards. At 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, his sophomore also has 10 touchdowns and has been compared to Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes for his ability to improvise and deliver perfect passes from different arm angles. it was done.

Williams finished with kicks and accounted for seven touchdowns in top-25 wins over UCLA and Notre Dame that put USC in playoff position.

The Trojans were unable to close the deal and lost the Pac-12 title game to Utah with Williams staggering most of the game with a strained hamstring. Still, he threw for his 363 yards and his three touchdowns to give his USC a chance and solidify Heisman’s position as a frontrunner.

Williams is the 19th quarterback since 2000 to win the Heisman Trophy, the third from USC, and the third since joining Riley.

Mayfield and Murray followed a similar path under Riley when he was in Oklahoma. Riley left the Sooners for a job at USC after last season, jumping from one high-profile program to another.

Riley has at least three Heismans, along with Notre Dame’s Frank Leahy (four), Alabama’s Nick Saban (four), Army’s Red Bryke (three), and Ohio State’s Woody Hayes (three). Coaching winners.

Williams is the sixth sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, and for the second year in a row. Alabama’s Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy in his second season last year and finished his sixth place in this year’s voting, behind Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.

Williams becomes the latest player to potentially join two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin (1974-75) of Ohio State University.

But first, it’s time to find a space at USC’s Heritage Hall. Williams once again made the Heisman U.S. of Southern California.

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