FOOTBALL

Saturday Buzz: Where Do Things Stand With Caleb Williams?

If you read my column yesterday, you know I wasn’t too worried about the “deadline” for Caleb Williams to enroll and participate in spring practice.

Let’s just review some possibilities:

Williams enrolled and USC did not announce it. Hardly implausible given the way USC limits information more and more these days.

Williams is being given a loophole to delay making a decision and still participate in the spring. What school wouldn’t do that?

Williams doesn’t care if he plays in the spring. If you said Williams is one of the top 2 QB’s in the nation, I wouldn’t argue. He already knows Lincoln Riley’s offense. What does he care if he misses spring?

One thing to recognize: Williams is leasing his services to his next college. He isn’t coming to USC because he grew up a fan or fell in love with the program while in high school. The Crosstown Rivalry doesn’t resonate with him.

Playing in the NFL matters to him. And NIL deals. So he’s going to do everything on his schedule. And Riley is fine with that because he wants him.

Ultimately, none of this matters if Williams eventually comes to USC, which is still expected.

83 thoughts on “Saturday Buzz: Where Do Things Stand With Caleb Williams?”

  1. I have a feeling Caleb is already enrolled at USC, and won’t announce anything until he shows up the 1st day to attend classes. No way Lincoln Riley allows Dart to get away that easily to Ol Miss, and not seek another QB right away in the Portal if he was not coming for sure. It’s just a matter of time.
    Another option is he enrolls for the Summer session, and then begins workouts with his teammates before Fall Practice starts which might be the most probable thing to happen.

    Liked by 4 people

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    1. tommyd,
      What does it mean if we don’t see Caleb going to his Comparative Lit, Introduction to Philosophy, First Year German and Basic Calculus classes this semester?

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. According to sources Williams has already enrolled in the remedial Spanish class at LA Trade Tech. This bodes well for the trojan rah rahs as many other football players have done the same in the past.

        Like

  2. Unassailable logic from Scott. Touching all the bases —with the kind of maturity that almost forbids further reckless conjecture by me and others…
    #PleaseDon’tLetThisStopUs….
    #”NowIsTheTimeForStupid&MeraninglessBanter”
    #”Who’sWithMe?!”
    –[With apologies to Bluto in Animal House]

    Liked by 6 people

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      1. I think Scott wakes up sometimes and says to himself, “fuck it…no polemics…I’m just gonna play it straight today….”
        #RefreshingChangeOfPace…
        #ButIHopeHeDoesn’tWakeUpThinkingThatTooOften

        Liked by 2 people

  3. I don’t know. All the football pundants say that the only real logical choice that makes sense is for him to come to USC. I agree with that. I don’t see another school out there that can offer him what USC can offer him if you take everything into consideration. But I can’t help feeling that there is something about SC that he doesn’t like. He should have committed a long time ago. But I’m going to assume that LR knows what he is doing and give him the benefit of the doubt. I sure wish LR would say something publicly about what is happening here. He is leaving the fans hanging. He should speak. The Wolfman may have a lot of sources but nobody knows more than LR.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. The fact NOBODY is saying anything means one thing and one thing only: There is still one touchy issue that hasn’t been resolved …
      #AndNobodyWantsToDrawAttentionToIt…
      #…OrMakeItWorseByTalkingAboutIt…

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. I’ll take your word for it. You’re a lawyer. You’d know more about these legal things than I would. But there has to be something because he should have committed a long time ago. The football pundants are all Right On when they say that SC really is his best choice logically.

        Liked by 3 people

      4. Carol Folt:
        “Not that there’d be anything wrong with that…”
        #SavingsOnJockStrap$$CouldGoInto”Special”JacuzziArea

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Maybe Caleb just doesn’t want to participate in spring practice. A lot of guys don’t. They just want to give their bodies a break. Maybe this is LR’s way of letting him miss spring practice without causing problems to team moral. Otherwise, a lot of guys might say “if he gets to miss spring practice, why can’t I miss it?”
      Scott is right when he says he doesn’t need spring practice. He does already know the system. The problem is that if Caleb doesn’t come, then we either go with Moss(which wouldn’t be the end of the world….he’s a good QB) or they bring in a late transfer from the portal who is more experienced….but unlike Caleb, he doesn’t know the system and missing spring practice would be a problem.

      Liked by 3 people

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      1. Ok –but it’s all on Riley when Caleb shows up in August weighing 270 pounds….
        #…HoldingHandsWithHisNewKrispyKremeCashierGirlfriend

        Liked by 1 person

    3. Just hurry get fuck out Oklahoma. We don’t need him. We got Oklahoma kids better then he every be. The only time we every won national championship We had a Oklahoma boy at quarterback.

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  5. sum poeple wunt me to be preznint of france or some thing like that cuz i got so maney good idees but i nead a job that pays me moneys,so no thanx,smdh

    Liked by 2 people

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      2. Ed would be a heck of an addition to DC. First thing: “Why does that VP lady keep saying she ain’t been to Europe? Me and the missus ain’t been there neither, but we just keep that between us selves.”

        Liked by 2 people

    3. Eddie Boy
      Go for it. You’d do a better job than the clown they have in there now. In fact, I’ll take you over our clown…..but only until 2024.

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  6. Ahh, the expectancy of youth in an NIL fueled world. None of it (and by “it” I mean the “get yours while the gettings good” actions of any/all portal athletes who have visions of sponsored sugar plums dancing in their heads) shouldn’t come as a big suprise to anyone. When big money gets invited to the company picnic you can bet the ol’ potato sack race will be a little less lighthearted than it was when people were competing for a ribbon and a handshake from the bossman. Now Ill grant ya, that at least to an old school fu*k like myself, this unapologetic approach being taken by todays in-demand athletes is a tad shocking, especially when compared to a long ago day and age when innocence was genuine, and offered players truly felt blessed (as opposed to the minimum mandatory catch phrase “blessed to receive yada yada” HS players auto posted on their social media) when a program like USC put a scolly on the family dinner table. As time went by, tv contracts grew in size and importance, the arms race began, coaches started giving instead of demanding, players and their agents, er uh, I mean family advisors, noticed and began to push, push, and push that envelope, until holy hell what do ya know, someone invited Coca-Cola and Kentucky Fried Colonel to that family’s dinner table. Guess what that makes the coach? Yerp, he’s the second fiddle at a one fiddle recital.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Yes, times were more innocent, boxisbento, in the 20th century, especially when it came to big-time sports.

      The Dodgers were seldom on t.v in their first years in L.A., but I would lie on my bed until late into the night listening to the rhythmic voice of Vin Scully. When I went to my first Dodgers’ game I was disappointed it was not nearly as exciting or interesting as listening to Vin describe the action.

      Tom Kelly doing SC football was beautiful, or Chick Hearn and the early great Lakers’ teams was another jewel in the L.A. sports crown

      But then t.v. caught on, now nearly every game is televised, and with all that money being thrown around it is no wonder that sports has now been turned into business.

      Liked by 3 people

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      2. … the 4th being Dennis Miller On Monday Nite Football……
        #[MyFingersWereShakingWithLaughterAsITypedThat]

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    2. It’s not the family picnic anymore. It’s not even the office picnic. Everybody isn’t guaranteed one chicken leg, one biscuit and one coke. This is now more like dinner time in the Victor Mature version of “One Million B. C.” …where the cave people and the shell people battle to the death for the biggest slice of wooly mammoth meat….
      #AndWe”InsideUSC”PalsGetTo CritiqueTheOutcome

      Liked by 2 people

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  7. Caleb is the captain of this ship, he knows he is worth tens of millions over 2 years to the highest bidder, and there isn’t a program in the country that wouldn’t mind changing spring practice rules or if he didn’t enroll at the deadline.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. I concur many times over. Hell, I’d go so far as to say that his folks would be derelict in their parental duties if they weren’t shopping for the biggest bang. Seems to me that a big part of the American dream narrative is based on taking advantage of your advantage(s) while they are present and available. Doesn’t matter if you worked your balls off to gain that advantage, or the advantage was gained because you were touched by the hand of God at birth. Either way, imho, smoke em if you got em

      Liked by 2 people

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      2. MG,
        Re: Plato, completely untrue and undeserved, but Ill gladly take it nonetheless. Speaking of Plato, for whatever reason, let’s say he could time travel to current day, and again for whatever reason, he found himself in the checkout line at Pavilions. I wonder what he’d be thinking seeing People magazine getting bucks per while he gave his shit away gratis? I’d bet a hundo that when he traveled back to his time/place he’d be bringing the NIL concept with him

        Liked by 2 people

      3. …or he might be saying “the souls of those who pursue gold and other material things grow so heavy they can be seen wandering the necropolis at night for they can’t ascend”….
        #OnlyDiffrence?HeActuallySaidTheLatter…

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Scotty nailed it. He don’t give a shit about USC.

        Caleb #1, pay me.

        We lost Dart who actually wanted to be here. Give Moss a try. Word is he has talent.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. If CW were really dumb enough to want to fight it out every Saturday in the Big Ten (which I sincerely doubt) he isn’t the guy we want calling signals….

      Liked by 1 person

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    2. I disagree with the idea that spring football doesn’t matter because Caleb knows the offense. He needs to be out there instructing his new wide receivers and running backs where to line up, proper routes, options against the blitz, audibles, ect. He is more valuable to his team precisely because he knows the offense and needs to establish himself as a team leader. He will also need to work on timing with his backs and receivers. Spring practice is a big deal when installing a new offense.

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. If Caleb isn’t around for Spring we’ll see the results in the first 2 or 3 games of the 2022 season — timing problems, sacks, etc. I don’t care how talented he is —he’s gonna be working with new receivers, a new line and new running backs….and he ain’t gonna get used to all of that in a few weeks this fall. Suffice it to say, USC football won’t get off to the start any of us are looking forward to if this is how things actually play out…..

        Liked by 1 person

  9. He’s a mercenary and I’m not salivating at the thought of him in C&G.

    He’ll never learn the words to ‘Fight On!’ — he’ll look confused on the ladder when he’s handed the sword and the TMB plays ‘Conquest.’

    He’ll see Traveler and say, “the Boomer Schooner” at Oklahoma had better ponies. He’ll pass Tommy Trojan on the way to his PUAD 101 class and ask, “Who’s that? Why isn’t there a statue of me?”

    NIL has given these 19-year olds vast delusions of authority.

    If he comes to USC, he won’t be the greatest to ever wear the uniform…our history is much bigger than this and him.

    If he doesn’t have a burning passion for being on the square of land between Fig, Vermont, Jefferson & Exposition…stay away! Go to Southern Georgia.

    Otherwise, get on the bus and learn what it means to Fight On!

    Liked by 2 people

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      1. Agree, 67…..unless the NCAA fixes it so this fiasco can’t repeat itself ever again….
        Suggestion: Portal stays open for 30 days — anything that happens has to happen by 30th day or you’re automatically back where you came from….
        #”HiOklahoma—I’mBack!”

        Liked by 1 person

    1. It appears that way with the Prima Donna drama but I think Riley will be fine without Caleb.

      Clay would’ve been a different story.

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      1. Howard might not have been the best on Monday Nite but he called some great fights in his day (until he decided he’d seen enough blood to last him the rest of his life during a Chuck Wepner fight)…

        Liked by 2 people

      2. It was Tex Cobb getting a beat down by Holmes.

        BTW, Tex Cobb in Raising Arizona should have had the Academy, ready with a statue!! Great movie!

        Liked by 2 people

      3. Everybody in Raising Arizona shoulda got an award. Maybe everybody in every Coen Brothers flick should get an award…
        But yeah…that look on Cobb’s face at the last second is pretty award worthy.
        #GoodCallOnCobb,btw

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Now that you mention, couldn’t agree more… like Vin Scully was to a summer night, Trevor D was to Santa Antita. That’s not to ignore his call elsewhere, but I grew up a stones throw from S.A. ate many, many carved corned beef sammys on a kaiser, and officially caught my first vice there hitting a big 5 buck exacta box in the 9th, in the slop, right after watching Spec Bid smoke Flying Paster in a 4 horse SA Handicap. Also met Agent 86 Don Adams ealier that day. No signs of KAOS to be reported

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      2. Man, boxisbento –does that all bring back memories. I was within walking distance of SA —200 block of San Miguel, Arcadia.
        #TopsForChiliburgers&Rod’sForBurgers&Beer

        Liked by 2 people

      3. Time and divorce has made one particular day at “Santa Anita Adjacent” (kinda like Hawthorne is listed by RE agents as “Redondo Adjacent”) a personal favorite to share around the campfire whenever SA is mentioned… so my boy was pretty much my wingman first day on. That meant on occasion we were a regular pair of Denace The Menaces… especially if Mama was outta town on biz, or in Hawaii at the relatives. On thr day in question (micro me was 9 at the time) we had played a round at Santa Anita and were planning to hit the Red Boat for cheeseburgers, cheesebread, and Lakers playoff game on their big screen. After golf we still had light and time to burn, so I asked jr if he wanted to learn to drive. He said “now? Okay!”. We pulled into the SA overflow parking lot where you drive under that bridge, switched seats and away we went in my 325… doing all of 5mph. I suggested that we may as well go to the paint some pottery place at that rate… to his credit, and my wit, wasn’t long before he was getting into the low 50smph wise. Not gonna lie, I was wondering if this was questionable parenting but it was undoubtably fun… that is until a security guy in a golf cart with a yellow flashing light appeared outta nowhere on our tail yelling at my boy to “pull over and stop the car”. The look on his face was something money cant buy. The look on securitys face when he saw a 9yo at the wheel was also something money cant buy. We promised to be on our way, never to return, switched seats and headed out, under the bridge, en route to The Boat. Got there and the place was a zoo, no seats except for a pair at the end of beer bar. The mgr said we could sit there, and I let the boy hold down the fort while i got in line to order. I barely got the order in when I saw thru the galley that some chola had taken.my.seat, spread all the bullshit in her purse all over the bar top, and was squeezing my boy out while calling for her cholo bf to join her. My fuse was now officially lit. Paid for food, walked to OUR seats and told her they were ours, and she proceeded to tell me to fuck off and “take my kid home to his mamma”. Her bf thought it was hilarious until I took my arm and swept all her crap off the bar, onto the floor, far, far, far away into the crowd. Her bf started towards me, and I think he was gonna say some gangster shit to me, but we’ll never know cause a mad dads hook and a headbutt interrupted. The mgr suggested we take our food to go before the authorities arrived, we complied and went to the North Woods to grub and watch the Lake Show. Next day wifey got home and asked if we did anything fun. My boy blew right thru my 3rd base coach call to hang tight and headed home with a head of steam, summing up the entirety of our time saying “i got pulled over racing the car and dad punched a guy”. That’s my boy

        Liked by 2 people

      4. That is beautiful. Untoppable really. My son and I got kicked outta a lot of places for failure to comply with protocols (the train exhibit at Griffith Park, a couple of museums, a parent/teacher meeting at Nobel in Northridge) but we never had THAT much shit going on in one day. Stuff like that will be bringing a smile to micro-you’s face way after pappy has gone to his reward. What a fun story –filled with all the zest, pride & insanity that us Sicilians enjoy so much….

        Liked by 2 people

      5. btw, North Woods—with all the peanut shells and sawdust on the floor was one of the funnest places to watch sports —saw a bunch of Montana playoff victories there with my wife. It was the little sister to Steak & Stein wasn’t it?

        Liked by 2 people

      6. It was indeed. You made me think of something tho…
        • at home it was “quit throwing your cheerios on the ground”
        • at north woods it was “throw your peanut shells on the ground”
        No context as to why one but not the other. Young man was left to his conclusions. Also probably the reason he sucked at math

        Liked by 2 people

      7. Men of instinct always hate math: why should there be just ONE answer?
        At least we didn’t throw our chicken bones on the floor at Steak & Stein…

        Like

      1. Or as my wife likes to say,”I don’t want love, I want you to worship me.” She’s Catholic but hasn’t demanded I genuflect before her– yet.

        Liked by 1 person

  15. Scooter,

    SC needs to drop Williams. If he can’t commit, then SC should by saying to Williams, if you want to play you have to wait until June to get in. SC is being played as a weak person. Time to get another qb. I wonder If Jaime Halloway who is from Carson and played at Oklahoma wants to play again. LOLO

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  17. Pingback: A Loophole Allowed Caleb Williams To Delay Announcement – InsideUSC with Scott Wolf

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