Caleb Williams on Pac-12 Gauntlet, Handling Expectations, Swimming and More

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After winning the Heisman Trophy in his debut year at USC, quarterback Caleb Williams is set to lead the Trojans on a championship chase in the 2023 college football season.

Williams sat down with Bleacher Report to discuss his partnership with United Airlines and, among other topics, a key lesson from the 2022 campaign, strong competition in the Pac-12 in 2023, his Caleb Cares Foundation, his love for swimming and more.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Bleacher Report: You’ll be pretty busy on Saturdays in the fall. But if you could fly one of United’s routes, what’s a must-see matchup for you?

Williams: I’d say it’s one of the most historic games in the world: USC vs. Notre Dame. This time, it’s not at the Coliseum; it’s in South Bend. United has a direct flight there and 127 new nonstop flights, solely directed around college football. That’s one of them, but the more the merrier. The more of your color that you can have in an opposing stadium, it makes the game a lot more fun.

B/R: What’s a lesson that you took from the 2022 season and have carried into the offseason?

Williams: It’s a good question. That every part of the team, whether it’s the athletic trainers, coaches, us players—offense, defense, special teams—we all have to be clicking and on the same page to win late in the season. That’s always the tough part. We’ve been trying to get that portion of it going and at a steady flow this year already.

I’ve been one of the main guys trying to get it going, whether it’s off-the-field stuff, us hanging out. On the field, building a certain trust and bond in the weight room or running. In those tough situations, we’re all tired and we all have to be there for each other, be tough on each other.

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B/R: It’s a strong year in the Pac-12 with a lot of good quarterbacks—Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., Cam Rising and more. What excites you about the challenge of navigating the conference this season?

Williams: I get to see all of these guys in the gauntlet of the season—the fun part of the season. In the fall, championship November. It’s always fun, always exciting. You get to play at your best ball. Everybody’s comfortable, everybody’s locked in and focused. Everybody understands the goal. Excited to see those guys on the other side competing, it just makes you better. Can’t wait.

B/R: Two years ago, you were adapting from life in Washington, D.C., to Norman, Oklahoma. Last year, you go out to Los Angeles. Is it fair to say this is an offseason that finally has a feeling of stability?

Williams: Yeah (laughs). I’d say so. This is the first year I’ve been able to build on the year before, which is awesome. It’s a great feeling to have this stability and also certainty, building with these guys from the beginning of this year.

It’s been exciting. Can’t wait to get going with these guys, can’t wait to compete against these guys in practice and finally show what we’ve been working on. And to be able to show off the chip on our shoulder that we placed on it after last year, whether it’s writing me off, writing us off, can we do this or can we do that.

I’m excited to be on the same sidelines with these guys in August and until January.

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B/R: You’re the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback of one of college football’s biggest brands, focal point of 2024 NFL mock drafts; how do you best manage your reality of pressure and high expectations?

Williams: Keep life simple. I enjoy what I enjoy and focus on my goals and aspirations. When you’re strong-minded and have things that you actually want to go get, it’s pretty easy to keep that out of the way. I have a team and people around me that keep me in place if anything is going out of whack. They also prepare me for the moments, which is awesome.

I think that pressure isn’t a real thing, as long as you’re prepared. You go into the moment with full belief, full trust in yourself, full trust in your team that you’re going to prevail. Focus on the main thing, keep the main thing the main thing: winning games, having fun and playing ball because you don’t get to do it forever.

B/R: You mentioned having a team and people around you; who in particular has been influential for you?

Williams: My father, reminding me or informing me of things. Not letting me forget all the work I’ve put in for this. My two mentors, Mark [McCain] and Russ [Thomas], they’ve been tremendous in my life. Building me up, breaking me down, building me up, breaking me down, so that I can be the man I am today. Telling me the truth, even if I don’t want to hear it.

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B/R: You recently started the Caleb Cares Foundation, which has a mission of empowering young kids and promoting mental health. What are some of the ways you’re passionate about giving back?

Williams: I try and give my time, one of the most valuable things to me. I try and give my positive energy and attitude—two things that I can really control. Whenever I can give something physically, I do. There’s the Caleb Cares’ Hero Award for the child of the month who’s been doing well with their attitude in school or the anti-bullying side.

Whatever the case may be, being able to give them awards on good behavior, trying to show the right, positive way to go about daily life.

B/R: What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?

Williams: My second sport is swimming. I got started when I was younger. I used it for resistance training, and I actually started to enjoy it. I got into it competitively. I stopped because I decided that football is what I was going to do for the rest of my life. But I still love to swim.

I love being in the water. Sometimes, United helps me out with being able to travel somewhere and hop in some clear water.

B/R: The big question: Barbie or Oppenheimer?

Williams: Oppenheimer. I didn’t even think twice.

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