During his tenure with the USC Trojans, it was clear that current Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was destined for stardom at the NFL level.
Williams used his impressive college career with USC as a springboard to being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He was immediately tasked with the difficult job of bringing the Bears back to being a legitimate playoff contender.
His first season was underwhelming. The start of his second year in the NFL was even worse.
Early on in the 2025 NFL season, calls were loud for Chicago to bench Williams. However, the team stuck with the USC alum and ended up making a run to the playoffs and an NFC North division win. Williams is now on the fast track to being a superstar.
Caleb Williams Receives Strong Words From Rich Eisen
The former Trojans star turned a lot of heads throughout his second season in the NFL. One analyst who was very impressed with Williams was none other than Rich Eisen.
During an episode of the “Rich Eisen Show” on Monday, Eisen did not hold back from sharing his thoughts on the young quarterback.
“This kid is 100% ready for the spotlight in every way, shape, and form,” Eisen said. “Bears fans, you are good. I know you’re hurting, but honestly. Box checked.”
Despite a slow start to his NFL career, Williams is back on track. He has the Bears on track to being a legitimate Super Bowl contender for years to come. Assuming the front office makes the right moves around him, the sky is the limit moving forward.
Throughout the course of the 2025 season with Chicago, Williams played in all 17 regular season games. He completed 58.1 percent of his pass attempts for 3,942 yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, while also picking up 388 yards and scoring three more touchdowns on the ground.
In two postseason games, the 24-year-old signal caller threw for 618 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions. Those playoff numbers won’t sit well with him and will give him extra motivation entering the NFL offseason.
Looking Back at Williams’ Time with the USC Trojans
After playing his first college season with the Oklahoma Sooners, where he threw for 1,912 yards, 21 touchdowns, and four interceptions to go along with 442 yards and six touchdown on the ground, Williams made the move to USC.
He finished his college career with 10,082 passing yards, 93 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions, wihle completing 66.9 percent of his pass attempts. Williams also ran for 960 yards and 27 touchdowns in his college career.
Williams also ended up winning the coveted Heisman Trophy during the 2022 season.
The Trojans’ fan base have a lot to root for at the NFL level. Most notably outside of Williams, USC faithful will be cheering for former Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold, who is set to play in the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.
That being said, the future is incredibly bright for Williams. He has more work to do, but the USC rising legend has officially started living up to the hype that followed him coming out of college.
Former USC Star QB Caleb Williams Draws Strong Words After Bears’ Run