USC QB Williams named Walter Camp Player of the Year
USC sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams has been selected as the 2022 Walter Camp Player of the Year.
Williams is the 56th player to receive the longest running college football player of the year award dating back to 1967, having led USC to an 11-2 record after transferring from Oklahoma last December.
“I don’t know much about awards, but I know it is one of the most prestigious and oldest awards in college football,” Williams said. “It is pretty cool to be a part of the legends that my dad talks about and all the legends I was able to see growing up. I really appreciate it and it is really cool to be a part of that select group.”
Williams is tied for first nationally with 37 passing touchdowns and ranks fourth in the country in passing yards with 4,075 while rushing for 372 yards and 10 touchdowns. Williams’ quarterback rating of 167.94 ranks fifth, while his 313.5 passing yards per game is good for sixth.
His 4,447 yards of total offense is a USC single season school record. His 47 total touchdowns (passing and rushing) are the most in the country and also set a new school record.
Williams is the seventh Walter Camp Player of the Year from USC, and the first since Reggie Bush in 2005. Recent recipients have included Kenneth Walker III (2021), DeVonta Smith (2020), Joe Burrow (2019) and Tua Tagovailoa (2018).
“As a kid, that is where you dream of going and who you dream of being,” Williams said. “Getting this award and working hard to be the best player in the world is what everybody works for. To be able to be in the elite company of Joe Burrow, and we all saw what he was able to do that year, and then see him succeed in the NFL. Then Kenneth Walker, he is one of the best rookies now coming from Michigan State. Last year I was watching him run all over people and create history, so to be able to do that and be a part of that history and brotherhood of this award is pretty special.”
The Walter Camp Player of Year is voted on by the nation’s 131 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors. Williams was selected over finalists including quarterbacks Max Duggan (TCU), C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) and Hendon Hooker (Tennessee) along with running back Blake Corum (Michigan).
“It feels better than a lot of other awards I would
say, just because of the respect of the coaches,” Williams said. “There are players in this country that are up there with me, so to be selected by the coaches does mean a lot to me.”
After being named a Walter Camp Award semifinalist as a freshman at Oklahoma last year, Williams transferred to USC, following his Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley. The decision paid off, as the duo led the Trojans from a 4-8 record in 2021 to an 11-2 season this year.
“It was a tough time because one of my main things was that I didn’t want to leave the place that I was at,” Williams said. “It was a special place to be because it was my first college, it was my choice to go there. Then all of the special things that happened throughout the year and the challenges made it even more special to me. It was a tough transition in the sense of actually having to leave, but when I got here it was nothing but a blast and a dream.”
“(Lincoln Riley) means a lot to me and my success,” Williams said. “It has been a blast being with him and to be able to keep building with him. The situations that we have been in have made us a lot closer. Having to come here and trusting in him, and going through the season having him believe and trust in me.”
Williams will be honored
on the weekend of March 10th-11th in New Haven alongside 2022 Coach of the Year, Sonny Dykes (TCU). Williams has never been to Connecticut, but has some connections in the area.
“Paige Bueckers is a good friend of mine, we have known each other for a while,” Williams said. “And one of my (former high school) teammates Aaron Turner plays (foot)ball at UConn. Those are my two connections that I have to Connecticut.”
Williams suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter of the Pac-12 Championship game against
Utah. He hopes to return for the Cotton Bowl on January 2 against Tulane.
In the meantime, Williams has been voted AP Player of the Year and is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday.
“There have been a lot of phone calls, zooms, interviews, getting speeches ready, trying to get certain outfits ready, haircuts and all of that (this week),” Williams said. “There have been a lot of appointments while also catering to my little injury. There has been a lot going on, a lot of moving around, but it has all been fun.”