A five-star recruit, Williams committed to the Oklahoma Sooners out of Gonzaga College High School in Washington. Williams opted to join Riley (who was then the head coach at Oklahoma) because of his reputation as a “QB Whisperer.”
Williams believed he could follow their path with Baker Mayfield, Jalen Hurts, and Kyler Murray heading to the NFL under Riley’s tutelage.
Williams began his freshman season in 2021, backing up Spencer Rattler, who was dealing with pressure and expectations himself. Oklahoma and Rattler specifically didn’t start the season strong, which led to them making a change and bringing Williams in.
The Sooners didn’t look back as Williams threw for 1,912 yards and 21 touchdowns while using his ludicrous athletic profile to rush for 442 yards and six touchdowns more.
At the end of the season, Riley left Oklahoma to become HC at USC, and Williams soon followed, entering the transfer portal on Jan. 3, 2022. On Feb. 1, 2022, what was anticipated became a reality, and Williams followed Riley to Southern Cal.
The dynamic head coach and quarterback duo engineered an unbelievable season that saw Williams win the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, and PAC-12 Offensive Player of the Year.
The 2022 season was historic for Williams as he threw for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns. He was regarded as the top prospect in college football, with many analysts comparing him to NFL star Patrick Mahomes.
Williams entered 2023 after winning the Heisman Trophy and putting up elite numbers. However, his final season with the Trojans was a step back statistically as he tallied 3,633 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns.
