Williams chosen Heisman finalist
USC star and three other quarterbacks are up for the award Saturday in New York.
When Caleb Williams transferred to USC in February, the quarterback was billed as a star-in-the-making, the type of transformational talent capable of one day becoming the best player in college football.
Less than a year later, that distinction already appears inevitable for the Trojans passer. Williams was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy on Monday, joining fellow quarterbacks Max Duggan of Texas Christian, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State and Stetson Bennett of Georgia, all of whom will be in New York for the award ceremony Saturday.
None has separated from the pack over the last month quite like Williams, who remains the overwhelming favorite for the award among oddsmakers. The sophomore quarterback carried USC to the verge of the College Football Playoff, besting rivals Notre Dame and UCLA with stellar performances in the season’s final weeks, both in front of a national audience.
A hamstring injury hampered him in a devastating Pac-12 Conference championship game loss to Utah on Friday night in Las Vegas, ending USC’s charmed run and calling into question his availability for the Cotton Bowl next month. But Williams’ stranglehold on this college football season already had been established by then.
After his transfer from Oklahoma became the talk of the offseason, Williams stepped into the spotlight at USC and emerged an even bigger star. He has thrown for 4,075 yards, fourth most among all Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks, and 37 touchdowns, tied for the national lead, to go with just four interceptions. If he’s healthy enough to play in the bowl game, he should have no problem shattering the school records in both categories.
But it was with his legs that Williams truly set himself apart. His stunning escapes from the pocket have made him one of the most electrifying playmakers in college football. He has racked up 10 rushing touchdowns to go with 372 yards on the ground, both totals the most by a Trojans quarterback.
Williams would be the eighth Trojan to win the Heisman Trophy, the most by a school, although the Heisman Trust still would recognize only seven because Reggie Bush was stripped of his 2005 Heisman Trophy after NCAA violations involving the running back.
Bennett, Duggan and Stroud all look to upset Williams.
Bennett led defending national champion Georgia to a second consecutive CFP semifinal bid and is 24-1 as the Bulldogs’ starter. The sixth-year player from Blackshear, Ga., was most valuable player of the Southeastern Conference title game after throwing for four touchdowns in a 50-30 win over Louisiana State that moved the Bulldogs to 13-0.
Duggan, who grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and had heart surgery two years ago, willed TCU to its first playoff semifinal berth.
During Saturday’s Big 12 title game against Kansas State, he broke loose for 40 yards and then, visibly out of breath, ran for an eight-yard touchdown and completed a two-point pass to bring the Horned Frogs back from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit. TCU fell in overtime to lose for the first time this season, 31-28.
And Stroud, a Rancho Cucamonga High alum, is a Heisman finalist for the second year in a row. He was fourth in voting last year. He came into this season regarded as the front-runner and remained the favorite as Ohio State rolled through the first eight games.
But he struggled against Northwestern, the worst team in the Big Ten, and couldn’t rally the Buckeyes in their most recent game, a 45-23 home loss to Michigan.