Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Heisman winner: Miami ‘probably my No. 1 spot’
USC’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams said the Miami Dolphins are his preferred landing spot in the NFL.
Williams won’t be eligible for the NFL draft until next year, but he already has his sights set on playing for 39-year-old Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel if he decides to turn pro after this season.
“I like to be around younger coaches,” Williams said in a recent interview with People. “I’d probably go to the Dolphins. I also would be able to play with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Mike Gesicki. The defense isn’t bad. That’s probably my number one spot.”
Williams’ desire to throw passes to Gesicki caught the Dolphins’ free-agent tight end off guard.
“Caleb, they tell you i’m staying with the Dolphins through 2024? I’m just trying to figure out what I should do with my condo lease…,” Gesicki wrote on social media.
Gesicki, who didn’t fit well in McDaniel’s offense, is expected to depart in free agency next month as the Dolphins likely will search for a blocking tight end more than a receiving tight end.
Gesicki, who played under the franchise tag in 2022, had just 32 receptions for 372 yards last season — the lowest totals he’s had since his rookie year.
Williams, who transferred to USC from Oklahoma last year following his head coach Lincoln Riley, said he liked the Dolphins team colors and the Miami weather.
“I also like the colors,” he said. “The colors are pretty cool and the weather’s good.”
Williams threw for 4,075 yards and 37 touchdowns with just four interceptions last season, completing 66.1 percent of his passes. He also ran for 10 touchdowns, drawing comparisons to Kansas City Chiefs’ star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
He’s considered to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, but he said he’s unsure if he will return to USC for his senior season or turn pro.
“I can’t say right now [what I’ll do],” Williams told People. “The expectation from everybody would be that I would leave and go pro, but that would be a very, very in-the-moment kind of decision after speaking to family members and mentors that I believe in and trust their word.”