LOS ANGELES — When the cameras are gone, as trainer Will Hewlett says – and anyone who has been in the orbit will add – Caleb Williams is just one of the guys.
The quarterback has spent the better part of two months in pre-draft training Florida, by Hewlett’s admission, bounding around the field in old football shorts he’s kept from days at Gonzaga College High in his hometown of Washington, D.C. Kicking it up in New Balances. Chopping it up and trading good-natured jabs with Western Kentucky quarterback Austin Reed, a projected late-round pick in this year’s draft who is nonetheless challenging projected top pick Williams in training with Hewlett.
“You could argue that there’s a persona online of him being … the, Hollywood,” Hewlett said of Williams. “Like, ‘he only communicates through this guy, and won’t talk to this person.’”
“There hasn’t been a less Hollywood guy that I’ve been around in training.”
But when the cameras have come around, Williams has rapidly become one of the most polarizing athletes in American sports across two seasons at USC, all through a lead-up to Thursday’s NFL draft that has brought a near-daily stream of talking-head critics and anonymous scouts taking potshots at Williams’ demeanor.
Last week, Williams appeared on Ryan Clark’s The Pivot Podcast for a hour-long roundtable on his frustration starting out as a backup at Oklahoma, his emotionality after crying in his mother’s arms following a November loss to Washington, and plenty more. His candor set off another firestorm across social media, culminating in writer David Fleming saying on Pablo Torre’s podcast on Tuesday – deep breath to follow the chain of reference here – that an anonymous scout told him that a GM had told them “it’s like if Prince played quarterback.”
In truth, behind years of media training and a public persona that at times borders on cocky and other times comes off as incredibly vulnerable, it’s difficult to find the pulse on Williams’ true nature. So before his name is called on Thursday night, here are things to know about the quarterback that are often hidden or misconstrued within the public eye.
He has a love for fashion, and he paints his nails for a special reason
In high school, when Williams was working with longtime QB trainer Chris Baucia, Williams “had the best cleat game around,” Baucia remembered.
He would come in, every session, with a new pair. Everything matched.
“Everything was hooked up,” Baucia remembered. “That was planned, too.”
And Williams’ interest in fashion has been apparent throughout his time at USC, appearing on the cover of GQ in September. His fingernails, in particular, have been the biggest talking point, painted for nearly every game he played at USC, Williams going viral again in late March for a clip of him sitting at a USC women’s basketball game with pink nails.
Ultimately, the backstory behind Williams’ nails is simple: mother Dayna Price was a nail technician, and would do Williams’ nails growing up. And his authenticity in self-expression, at the next level, promises to challenge long-running perceptions of masculinity around football.
For many, former USC quarterback Caleb Williams painting his fingernails has become a big talking point leading up to the NFL draft. The backstory is actually simple: his mother, Dayna Price, was a nail technician, and she would do Williams’ nails growing up. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
His foundation, Caleb Cares, focuses on mental health awareness
When Williams was just starting high school, his father Carl called longtime nonprofit director Patsy Mangus about helping advise the launch of his son’s foundation, built on three pillars: mental health, youth empowerment and anti-bullying.
Years later, when he transferred from Oklahoma to USC, Williams and Mangus set about establishing a partnership between Caleb Cares and local Boys and Girls Clubs in Los Angeles. Under the partnership, kids from the club could choose to opt into a 10-to-12-week program centered around anti-bullying, becoming what the club calls “junior leaders” upon their graduation and helping to organize events.
Again, it comes from Williams’ background – mother Price also owned a preschool in D.C., according to Kim Washington, the VP of resource development for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles. And Williams has been outspoken about mental health awareness through his time at USC, particularly after the November loss to Washington.
“I go out every single day, and blood sweat and tears, I give my all on every single play, every chance that I get,” Williams said then. “And so, been an advocate for mental health, and you know, trying to show your emotions and express yourself.”
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He might have been a better player in 2023 than he was in 2022
It was a frustrating season for Williams in 2023 – he admitted as much to the Southern California News Group after the season – which followed his Heisman Trophy-winning season in 2022. USC finished just 7-5 before the Holiday Bowl, far short of Williams’ expressed goals at college football “immortality” before the season.
And yet, while perception and raw numbers showed a slight drop-off from his 2022 season, analytics show Williams made strides in a number of key areas heading into the NFL.
Williams’ tendency to hold onto the ball and dance to create miracles will undoubtedly need to be honed at the next level, and he struggled more against the blitz in 2023. But he actually cut his average time to throw – from 3.30 in 2022 to 3.16 this past season, according to Pro Football Focus – despite an often-underperforming offensive line. He was also notably improved as a deep ball thrower, completing 51.5% of his throws of more than 20 yards for 15 touchdowns in 2023, as compared to 42% with six touchdowns in 2022.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams smiles after wining the Heisman Trophy on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in New York. In some ways, he played better in 2023 but did so behind an offensive line that often left him facing heavy pressure. (Todd Van Emst/Pool Photo via AP)